Brave Chantelle blogs her op experiences

Chantelle Howard (27) had a simple message for  women considering the op: “It’s the best decision I ever made”.

The mum-of-two had a double mastectomy after learning she had a mutated BRCA 1 gene aged just 18.

The gene - put in the spotlight by Angelina Jolie’s mastectomy in 2013 - suppresses mutations in breast tissue cells.

A faulty one means DNA damage may not be repaired, leading to tumours.

Chantelle was told as a teenager that she had an 85 per cent chance of breast cancer in her lifetime.

That figure is now just two per cent after both breasts were replaced with prosthetics.

“It’s amazing,” said Chantelle, of Chambers Road in Kimberworth. “I just can’t put into words how amazing it is.

“I don’t feel like I’m a ticking time bomb any more.”

Chantelle saw both her nan and her mum go through breast cancer, in their 40s and 30s respectively.

As there is evidence that cancers affect later generations younger than their elders, she worried the illness would hit her in her 20s.

Doctors initially told Chantelle she would have to wait until she was 30 before surgery.

But, after having sons Addison (4) and Oaklan (1), she felt a new urgency to get treatment and sought a second opinion.

“People don’t know that they don’t have to wait until they develop cancer,” she said.

“They can be tested and they can have preventative surgery. You can’t prevent every illness, but you can prevent this one.

“I think the op is something people associate with having breast cancer, which isn’t always true,” she added.

Chantelle’s blog details the timeline of her treatment and the painful aftermath.

First, she had expander implants to make space for the permanent implants to come.

But she describes surgeons and nurses at Rotherham Hospital, where she had the op, as “amazing”.

“I still have pain six months later,” she said. “Yesterday was particularly bad, but hopefully, with different implants, things will get back to normal.”

“The worst of all was not being with Addison on his first day of school, because I was in surgery, but now I know I’ll be there for his last.

“Other than that, the pain was the worst. I didn’t want my children to see me in such pain, so I didn’t see them for ten days.”

As well pain and the impact on her children, Chantelle has blogged about how she feared partner Lee Bamford’s (32) reaction to losing her boobs.

“As a 27-year-old woman, I was worried,” said Chantelle. “I didn’t want my partner to see me any differently.

“But Lee has been really supportive. He knows I’m no different and he doesn’t look at me any differently.”

She added: “I would say to other women: ‘Don’t be worried about how it turns out. Go to the consultations, speak to everyone you can.’

“They should make their own decision, but know that this was the best decision I ever made. This has extended my life with my children.”

Despite all the discomfort and worry, Chantelle plans to have more preventative surgery in future.

“There’s still a fair chance I will develop ovarian cancer before I’m 30,” she said, “so I want my ovaries removed - but they won’t do that until I’m 30.

“Every time I find a lump or bump on my skin, I get worried. I just want a normal life back.”

The busy mum said she will keep sharing her experience between hospital appointments.

“I’m definitely going to keep blogging,” she said. “If I can reach just one woman going through the same thing, I would be pleased.

“That would be my job done.”

Read all about Chantelle’s journey at chantz88.wordpress.com.