A brave marketing executive has told how she got rid of her ‘killer’ boobs at 27 – after finding out she had a 90 PER CENT chance of getting breast cancer.
Katie Mumford got tested for the BRCA/2 gene after her mum and half-sister were diagnosed with the deadly illness five years ago.
After finding out she too had the killer gene, she went underwent a double mastectomy last year as a preventative measure.
She has since had implants to re-build her chest but is still getting used to her new boobs – and the fact that they are completely numb.
But despite the pain and stress, Katie, of Chelmsford, Essex, said she made the right decision – because her chance of getting the big ‘C’ is now just three per cent.
She has now decided to share photos of her operation, which took place at Broomfield Hospital, Chelmsford, in a bid to reassure others having the operation.
Katie, now 28, said: “It’s really scary being told you have got nearly a 90 per cent chance of getting cancer but at the same time, I felt like I could do something about it.
“I was glad I had that chance and I knew then that I wanted to get rid of my boobs.”
Katie first went under the knife in November, when surgeons cut each of her breasts from the nipple and removed all of her breast tissue and put expanders in.
Six weeks later, they started to fill these expanders – which stretch the tissue to make way for implants – with saline, to rebuild Katie’s breasts.
Earlier this month, she had the expanders removed and had permanent implants inserted in their place.
She has been left with surgery scars and her chest is swollen, but her boobs are back to their normal B-cup – and they’re even a bit fuller than they were before.
“The first surgery was very painful. I thought they had my ribs where they cut my chest wall muscle and go under it,” Katie said.
“I couldn’t lift my arms for a while. I couldn’t get up or sit up for a few days. I had to have six weeks off work.
“Then when I went for the fillers it was like inflating a balloon under my skin. It felt really odd.
“They’re completely numb now. I miss being able to feel them. It is weird being intimate without any feeling in them.”
Katie, who is supported by her boyfriend Matt Brothers, 26, added: “I’m excited at the moment because I’ve suddenly got boobs when I didn’t have any for six months.
“It has been an emotional roller-coaster. I have gone from feeling really lucky because I haven’t got cancer to feeling annoyed. At my worst, I asked myself, ‘Why me?’
“I felt like my boobs were trying to kill me and that my boobs were against me and if I didn’t get rid of them they would eventually kill me.
“I worried I would look horrible. I would never have boobs and no one would ever fancy me, and that I would never be able to wear a dress again.
“Now I’ve had the last surgery I do feel really happy. I haven’t been able to train for the last six months because of it, so that has made me a bit body conscious.
“But I haven’t had any regrets at all. The first thought I had when I woke up was, ‘Thank God I haven’t got that risk any more.’
“It is a very personal choice. But having surgery is a better option than having cancer.
“Making the choice has made me feel empowered. When people get cancer they feel helpless, but I feel like I have saved my life by removing my boobs.”
To read more about Katie’s journey, visit her blog: http://
