This 24-year-old documented her double mastectomy experience, and we’re blown away by her bravery
It’s genuinely scary to undergo a serious medical procedure at any age, but especially when it’s something as complex, intimate, and invasive as a double mastectomy. In your early 20s.
And we just heard that a 24-year-old documented her preventative double mastectomy on social media, and her bravery is incredibly inspiring.
With a history of breast and ovarian cancer on her dad’s side of the family, Paige More decided to get tested for the BRCA gene mutation (a mutation that greatly increases your odds of developing breast and ovarian cancer). She describes how her mom “just had a feeling,” and sure enough the test came back positive, meaning Paige was 55-65% likely to develop breast cancer.
A post shared by Paige More (@paige_previvor) on Feb 21, 2017 at 4:19pm PST
This presented her with a decision that women in their 20s usually don’t have to face: She could either keep getting regular and intensive check-ups every single year, or go for the double mastectomy and eliminate the chance altogether. Paige chose the latter.
“It was this huge daunting feeling, because I was making this huge life decision and either choice was really going to change my life. Even if I choose to do the surveillance, I’m choosing to spend so much of my life in the doctor’s office. It felt less like a surveillance and more like I was waiting to get cancer, and I’ve never been that person. I wanted to just tackle this thing for my life and my future,” she told People.
A post shared by Paige More (@paige_previvor) on Jan 21, 2017 at 8:07am PST
Throughout all the pain and discomfort, Paige described the morning after she got the drains removed from her chest as being like “Christmas morning.” She even posted a picture of their removal — not to make anyone afraid of the surgery — but to show others that they shouldn’t be scared if this is a procedure they too are going to undertake.
A post shared by Paige More (@paige_previvor) on Jan 22, 2017 at 1:04pm PST
Since the surgery, Paige has been healing well. Her Instagram profile description reads,
“I beat cancer before it got the chance to beat me BRCA 1 ass kicker Scars are sexy Your new breast friend.”
She also said that so much of her attitude comes from wanting to be a positive role-model for her 13-year-old sister, who is also going to be getting tested for the mutation. “I just didn’t want her to think that this is scary. I wanted her to look at me and feel strong and proud and beautiful,”
A post shared by Paige More (@paige_previvor) on Jan 28, 2017 at 11:30am PST
Thank you for sharing your experience with us, Paige. For anyone who is going through a similar decision in their life, know that there are many who have gone through it and you are absolutely not alone.
