Angelina Jolie underwent a double mastectomy not long after Wendy Nicol discovered she carried a similar gene mutation that made her highly susceptible to cancer.
Like the Hollywood actress, Ms Nicol was a carrier of a BRCA gene mutation, which hugely increases the risk of breast or ovarian cancer.
The wife and mother of two young children put herself on a waiting list to have her breasts removed in a bid to lower her cancer risk.
She said the awareness Jolie created around breast cancer helped her through the ordeal and even softened the blow when she was eventually diagnosed with breast cancer in 2013.
“I found out I had the gene in 2011 and went straight on a waiting list to have my breasts removed,” she said. “I also had MRIs every 12 months and it was on my second MRI that they discovered it.
“I was shocked but by the same token, because I’d already been under surveillance, we caught it very early. The course of action didn’t change, we just did things a little quicker.”
The Taylors Lakes mother, who was diagnosed when she was 41, has had the cancer removed and is now urging other woman to check their paternal and maternal history for the BRCA gene mutation.
Each October, she hosts Pink Ribbon events to raise awareness and money to go towards breast cancer research.
“I’m hoping that by the time my kids get to my age there will be a pill available that can turn the gene off,” she said.
To register to get involved in a Pink Ribbon breakfast event, go online at pinkribbonbreakfast.org.au
