A mastectomy uncovered the disease

As a carrier of the BRCA2 genetic mutation, Jamie Vento figured she’d get a preventative double mastectomy. The 34-year-old’s risk of getting breast cancer was so high, her doctors recommended she undergo the procedure before she turned 40.

“I thought I had a lot more time,” says the Staten Islander, who works in retail and got tested every six months, alternating MRIs with mammograms and ultrasounds.

In October 2016, she had her usual screening. Although she was sent home with a clean bill of health, she was unnerved by the radiologist, who had zeroed in on a spot that he concluded was not a problem.

His look of hesitation stuck with her. So, two months later, she decided to get her preventative mastectomy. “I just wanted peace of mind,” she says. When doctors removed and tested her breasts, they found the cancer that her screenings had missed. Without knowing it, she was living with stage 1 breast cancer. Doctors then performed a second surgery to remove 16 lymph nodes. Now, she’ll take the drug Tamoxifen for the next five years to treat the cancer.

“I was doing everything I was supposed to, and I still got cancer,” she says. She takes comfort in knowing she’s set a good example for her two daughters, ages 4 and 6. “They have been able to see all of the strength I have put toward healing,” Vento says. “To them, this was never about Mommy being sick. It was about Mommy being strong.”