Becky Measures had a 90 per cent chance of developing breast cancer, due to an inherited gene but she wasn't prepared to wait. In January this year she became the youngest woman in Britain to have a preventative double mastectomy and has is so happy to have done so.
Becky a radio presenter was 11 years old when her mother, Wendy Watson, become one of the first women in the country to undergo a double mastectomy to prevent her from developing the condition that killed her own mother, Jean, when she was only 16. So at 24 after being confirmed that she had the BCRA 1 gene, Becky decided to have her own breasts removed. She explains that as far as she’s concerned she is 24, undergone a double mastectomy and she doesn’t have cancer.She explained that she was always aware of her family’s history of breast cancer, having watched hr mother undergo the surgery and also how it had affected 14 of her close relatives. But she explains that it was not until her cousin Helen Cauldwell, 29 was diagnosed with the condition that she decided to take some action.
In January 2004 Becky underwent genetic tests. Six weeks later her results came back positive with an 80-90% chance that she would develop the condition. Becky explained that undergoing the tests were easy, it was the results, which though they had expected it, was hard to digest. She explained that she laughed at first and then cried along with her mother, but was happy that something could be done about it.
Becky then decided on the surgery and consulted surgeon Andy Baildon at Manchester's Wythenshawe Hospital. She explained that she was so relieved when the doctor explained to her that he would build her new breasts at the same time when he was removing her own. She explained hat living without breasts might have suited her mother but that she was young and wanted to feel like a woman. She further explained that her surgeon told her that she should make the most of the surgery and so he gave her a larger breast implantation.
Becky underwent a three-hour operation at, where the surgeon removed almost all of her breast tissue and put
