Three Years Post Mastectomy
Three years ago today I walked into a hospital to have my breasts amputated. I did this to drastically reduce my risk of breast cancer after finding out I have a BRCA2 gene mutation which gives me an elevated risk. It was the second hardest thing I ever experienced, next to losing my Mom from ovarian cancer. January 24, 2020 was the day my body would change forever. The day itself was terrifying and the recovery process was tough but I made it through. I prioritized my health and made a very hard decision. Three years later, do I regret that decision? Absolutely not.
As I reflect on the past three years I realize just how far I’ve come. I’ve grown as a person, I’ve realized my strength and I’ve helped others. I shared my mastectomy journey on social media to family, friends and strangers and in turn received lots of love, support and respect. Through social media I have connected with many other women going through similar journeys. Messages periodically come into my DM’s telling me how grateful they are that they found me on Instagram and proceed to ask me all their questions. It makes me feel good to be able to help and give them honest answers and expectations about the surgery. Connecting with other women who are BRCA positive or undergoing a mastectomy makes me feel less alone. In the past three years I have made many connections with women all over the world from the US, the UK to Australia. We all have one common thing binding us together, breast cancer. But we don’t let breast cancer win- we take the initiative to stop it before it can get to us.
The day before my mastectomy I shared on social media that I was undergoing the surgery the following day. I hadn’t shared my BRCA2 + diagnosis or any of the health screenings I was going through at the time. When I posted that photo and explained what I was doing I was terrified what people would think or say. Instead I was flooded with comments about how brave and strong I was, but at the time I didn’t feel like that at all. Looking back now after three years I realized everyone was right! I AM BRAVE! Choosing to go in and having your breasts amputated when you don’t have cancer is a pretty brave thing to do. This feeling of being brave has stuck with me over the last several years. The year after my surgery I did things I’d never done before- I backpacked in the Sierra Nevada’s, traveled to new states and hiked alone all by myself. These are things I didn’t think I was capable of before, but now I laugh when I think about that. My mastectomy showed my how tough and strong I really am. I knew that if I could endure what I did I could definitely hike a mountain or take on any other challenge. This confidence has given me the ability to do more things and take more risks. It has opened up my mind to new adventures and new possibilities that I didn’t think I could take on before.
My life since my mastectomy has been positive and filled with lots of love, growth and many adventures. I’m proud of myself for everything I endured and accomplished in the past three years. From starting a blog to share my journey in the hopes it will help someone else, to diving into my passion for the outdoors, I’ve been doing things that make me happy and that light up my soul. The main reason I underwent this prophylactic mastectomy was to be able to live my life to the fullest without being worried about a breast cancer diagnosis. And that is what I intend to do!
