I made the best decision for me

I knew I couldn't live with the fear of getting breast cancer, writes AILEEN McGEOUGH

ON DECEMBER 27th, 1985, my mother Rosie died of breast cancer at the age of 33. She’d had the disease for about 16 months. Our dad was left with four young children – my sisters Fiona (12) and Siobhán (10), myself (6) and our brother Donal (4).

I have little memory of my mother and can’t really recall her being sick. My last memory of her is probably when we were taken to the hospital to see her on Christmas Day. She was very ill at the time and in a lot of pain. She died two days later.

Two years before my mother died, her sister Anne also died from breast cancer. She was 41. She also left behind a family of five young children. Around the same time their sister Madge also had breast cancer, which she survived. Unfortunately, 14 years later she developed ovarian cancer and died aged 50. This was a very difficult time for the family as we were all very close to her.

I was probably about 12 when I realised how my mother died. But it wasn’t until Madge died, when I was 19, that I started to realise how serious the situation was and how it could affect the rest of us. My sisters, Fiona and Siobhán, were more conscious of the risks and I followed their lead by getting checked out in my early 20s, but I still believed that I was too young to be at risk.

In early 2005, my cousin Eileen was diagnosed with breast cancer. She was only 35 at the time and had two young daughters. It was a huge shock for us all and made me realise that breast cancer was beginning to show up in the next generation. Eileen went on to have a double mastectomy, her ovaries removed, and chemotherapy. It was hard to be positive at the time, but Eileen came through it all and is now healthy and well.

Her experience led us on the search for the genetic nature of the breast cancer in our family. The BRCA 1 gene was identified as the cause of my cousin Eileen’s cancer, and my sisters and I decided to be tested for it. We were tested in April 2006, and the results followed in August 2006

Most of my friends and family knew that we were going for genetic testing for breast cancer. I never tried to hide the fact and wanted people, especially those close to me, to be well informed. As it turned out, I am the only one of my three sisters who has the gene.

I met the oncologist/surgeon the following week to discuss my options. To be honest I knew from the minute I got the results that I wanted to have a double mastectomy. Some people thought that my decision was a bit drastic, but I knew I couldn’t live with the fear of getting breast cancer. And I didn’t really care what people thought: I didn’t have to justify my decision.

I had the support of my family and my fiance, Aaron, and that was all I needed. The double mastectomy and reconstruction surgery was planned for early 2007.

The surgery involved the removal of breast tissue and insertion of implants in its place. I was able to keep my nipples. Having the surgery reduced my chances of getting breast cancer from 85 per cent down to 5 per cent. I spent two days in hospital and then took three weeks off work. I hadn’t been in that job for too long and had explained in my interview that I had to go for this surgery, so there were no secrets about it, and again I got great support from my colleagues.

All in all I recovered very well from the surgery. Although I had scars down the sides of both breasts, they have worn over the years. I have never looked back. I feel I made the best decision for me and my now husband and our family. I got married at the end of that year. And it was a perfect end to a pretty rough year.

I am still at risk of developing ovarian cancer, and considering that this is what my Aunty Madge died from, it is something that I worry about. I go for ovarian cancer screening every year and I plan to have my ovaries removed in the next few years. I don’t feel that my family is complete just yet, even after three children: Senan, Molly and baby Cian. I’m definitely going as fast as I can.

My 10 female cousins opted to take the gene test and seven of us tested positive for it. We all have individual stories and battles that we’ve been through over the past five years. We have been through a lot together and this has definitely brought us closer.

I miss my mother more now than ever since having my children. I can’t imagine how hard it was for her to know that she was going to die and not be there to see her children grow up.

I feel desperately sorry for her and her sisters in what they have missed out on over the years. We have an amazing opportunity to try to protect ourselves from breast cancer and we have done all we can now. If they’d had that opportunity then maybe they would still be here and life would have been so different for a lot of us.

I turned 33 this year and it was a very significant birthday, because my mother died when she was 33. I cannot wait until I am 34. Hopefully I’ll see another 33 years.

In conversation with Sylvia Thompson

Aileen McGeough is 33 years old. She is married to Aaron Hoey and they have three children – Senan (3), Molly (2) and Cian (10 weeks). Aileen’s family has a history of breast cancer. This is her story

THE BRCA GENES: THE FACTS

Five to 10 per cent of breast cancers have a strong genetic component. Two genes in particular – BRCA1 and BRCA2 – have been identified as key predictors of whether a woman will go on to develop breast and/or ovarian cancer.

Disease-associated DNA sequence changes (called mutations) to either of these genes result in females having a 60-85 per cent risk of developing breast cancer and a lifetime risk of ovarian cancer of between 15 and 40 per cent.

The risk of breast cancer in men with a BRCA1 mutation is not increased. However, men with either a BRCA1 or BRCA2 are at increased risk of developing prostate cancer.

Predictive genetic testing of a healthy person for a BRCA gene mutation is only possible if a BRCA mutation has already been identified in a family member affected by cancer.

For these families, the National Centre for Medical Genetics at Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital, Crumlin, offers genetic counselling and tests.

See also genetics.ie