Personal experience, Season 4
We talk to Carly about her family history of breast cancer and the fear that came along with it.
Carly lost her mum and her grandmother to breast cancer, so she almost expected to get a diagnosis at some point. But it came much sooner than she thought, and presented a lot of challenges - mental and physical.
"No matter how positive you are, you'll always need extra support"
Carly was diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer in 2019 when she was 37. Because of the history of breast cancer on her mother's side, she had somewhat prepared herself for the possibility of getting it one day. But genetic testing would later confirm she had most likely developed the cancer as a result of a mutated BRCA1 gene on her father's side.
After going through 16 rounds of chemotherapy, a double mastectomy, radiotherapy and immunotherapy, Carly's mental and physical health was massively impacted. The news of having a genetic mutation was also difficult to take, as it meant her children might also one day develop breast cancer.
I watched my mum's mental health decline massively after her primary breast cancer treatment finished, so I was aware that there was this sense of falling off the cliff edge at that end.
- Carly
Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.