My risk of developing cancer without surgery was 70%
24-YEAR-OLD EXPLAINS WHY SHE CHOSE TO HAVE DOUBLE MASTECTOMY – AND HOW HER MOTHER INSPIRED HER TO RAISE MONEY VIA RACE FOR LIFE
A 24-YEAR-OLD woman who lost her mum 10 years ago has had a double mastectomy after discovering she has the same faulty gene that significantly increases her risk of developing breast cancer.
Sasha Irons opted to have the surgery in August 2019 after she discovered she has a mutated BRCA gene – which makes her about five times more likely to develop breast cancer.
Her mum, Annie, also had the same faulty gene and was diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 32, when Sasha was 14, her sister 12 and her brother a toddler.
Sasha said: “Mum lost her hair through chemo and I’ll never forget her trying to be silly to help us cope with that. She’d do things like pretend to be Gollum from Lord of the Rings.
“Then, as I got older, she explained she had a faulty gene so she had both her breasts removed as a precaution against it coming back.
“That was when she told me I could get tested as well.”
After rounds of chemotherapy and surgery, Annie looked to be on the mend and got engaged to her partner, Darren.
But as they were beginning to plan their wedding in 2016, the family were dealt another blow when they discovered Annie’s cancer had returned, this time in her hips.
Sasha said: “Mum’s best friend died of secondary breast cancer and she’d been experiencing a similar pain in her hips so she decided to get it checked out as a precaution.
“Before we knew it, she was having chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Tests showed the tumour was shrinking so we thought treatment was working.”
But the family’s hopes were short-lived when tests, in 2017, showed the cancer was back. This time it had spread to her liver.
In a further cruel twist, Darren was diagnosed with liver cancer a few months later.
Annie died at the family home in Barwell in January 2018. In February 2019, Darren also died.
Sasha said the months leading up to her mum’s death were the hardest that she has ever had to deal with.
“Watching this happen to my amazing mum was heartbreaking,” she said.
“The last couple of months were especially hard. Mum was really well cared for in a hospice but she knew she was dying and she just wanted to come home.
“As we brought her home to die, Darren was admitted to the same hospice.”
Sasha had herself tested for faults with her BRCA gene, which came back positive.
She opted to have both her breasts removed in August 2019 and had reconstructive surgery just before the first lockdown in March last year.
After finding letters written by her mum telling her to always do her best, Sasha decided to join thousands of people across the UK who will walk, jog or run 5km, either alone or in socially distanced groups, to raise money for life-saving research.
She said: “When mum died, we found letters that she’d written to us when she was first diagnosed with cancer.
“That letter means more to me now than anything else in the world.
“She told me to do my best, that life was too short and that she’d always be watching me. “I think she’d be really proud to see me doing Race for Life to help fund research that could help other people survive in future.” Sasha, who has offered to be a friendly voice for other young people who are carriers, via Leicester Royal Infirmary, said: “Without research we wouldn’t know about the faulty BRCA genes.
“My risk of developing cancer without surgery was 70 per cent.
She told me to do my best, that life was too short and that she’d always be watching me
Sasha Irons
That’s huge. Now my risk is the same as everyone else so it’s really unlikely.
“But more research is key to tackling all 200 types of cancer and that’s why I’ve signed up to Race for Life.”
Cancer Research UK’s Race for Life raises millions of pounds every year to help beat cancer.
But the charity is predicting a £300 million drop in income over the next three years because of the pandemic.
Cancer Research UK spokesman for Leicester, Paul Young, said: “Covid-19 has slowed us down.
“But we will never stop and we are absolutely determined to continue to create better cancer treatments for tomorrow.
“We’re really grateful to Sasha and people like her for signing up to Race for Life at Home.
“Even though we have to Race for Life differently this spring, nothing will stop us running, walking or jogging 5km to raise money to help beat cancer.
“We’re constantly monitoring the Covid-19 situation and are working hard to move our mass participation Race for Life events to the autumn and to make sure they can go ahead safely and with all necessary Covid-19 guidelines in place.”
A new date this autumn has not yet been confirmed for Race for Life Leicester but an announcement will be made as soon as possible.
Sign up to Race for Life by calling 0300 123 0770 or go to: