Two women who watched their mother and sister die from breast cancer have spoken about their decision to have their breasts removed as a preventative measure.
Mandi McSwiggan and Susan Chappin made the decision after their mother Kathleen, their sister Angela and finally their eldest sister, Christine Creasey, were all diagnosed with breast cancer.
Kathleen died in 1980, aged just 46, following a four-year battle with the disease, which eventually spread to her throat.
Their sister Angela, 32, was diagnosed in 1994 and died two years later. She is survived by a husband and two children.
Angela’s cancer initially appeared in one breast, but spread after treatment. Susan has since said that if Angela had had a double mastectomy when she was first diagnosed, the fatal cancer might not have returned.
After Angela’s death, Susan asked her doctor about the possibility of a preventative mastectomy, and was referred to the Royal Marsden Hospital in London. However, she never attended the consultation.
But in October 2003, Susan’s eldest sister, Christine, found a lump in her breast. Susan held her sister’s hand as the GP told her the lump was cancerous.
Christine, 47, opted to have both breasts removed, rather than face the risk of the cancer spreading, before having radiotherapy and chemotherapy.
Susan said: “She underwent a gruelling course of treatment, several operations and has recently had her ovaries removed for preventative reasons. She is currently in remission and doing extremely well.” Their sister’s illness was the push Mandi, 38, and Susan, 41, needed to book in for their preventative double mastectomies.
Susan, a mother-of-two, said: “Having three members of my family suffer from breast cancer at young ages put my risk as high as 60-85 per cent, compared to 12 per cent for those women with no family background of breast cancer who live to age 90.”
The sisters helped launch a calendar for the Bosom Buddies Trust in October, featuring women who have undergone mastectomies. - Telegraph UK
The calendar is available to buy at www.bosombuddiestrust.org.
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