Katie Mumford and her boyfriend Credit: ITV Anglia
A 27-year-old woman from Good Easter in Essex has taken the brave decision to have a preventative double mastectomy after discovering she has an 86% chance of getting breast cancer.
Katie Mumford works in marketing in Bishop’s Stortford and decided to get tested for the BRCA2 gene after her mother Susan Mumford and half-sister Melissa Hume were diagnosed with the disease. Melissa was only 30 when she was diagnosed but both women are now in remission.
THE BRCA2 gene mutation is often called the “Jolie gene” after actress Angelina Jolie had a double mastectomy two years ago after finding out she had the gene. The gene mutations create a greater risk of developing cancer because the cells’ ability to repair DNA damage, which can cause a cell to become cancerous, may be impaired.
Katie discovered she had the rare gene, BRCA2, last July and has written a blog about her journey. She said:
Katie and her sister Charlotte Credit: Katie Mumford
The operation, where surgeons will also reconstruct Katie's breasts, will reduce her risk of developing breast cancer to 4% - for most women it's about 12%
Katie worries about how the operation will affect her body image and confidence but says the support of her friends and family has been invaluable, especially boyfriend Callum who she started dating 5 months ago.
Katie’s surgery is likely to be scheduled for September or October. She hopes her blog will help other women going through a similar situation. Katie said:
