nice new Baubles!
After her lifesaving op, there were only two things Gemma wanted from Santa…
Terrified, I went for a test at the breast clinic the same day
IGemma Griggs, 36, Crawley
’d heard it a million times... ‘Always make sure you check your boobs,’ my mum Denise would say. And I did, religiously. I was forever having a feel in the shower, making sure there were no lumps.
See, breast cancer has plagued my family.
When I was 6, my nan Mary lost her battle with the disease.
Then, when I was 24, Mum, then 48, faced a fight of her own. I was on honeymoon when she phoned to tell me she had breast cancer.
I was newly married with a 6-month-old baby, Jacob.
But in that moment, my happy bubble burst.
‘It won’t be like Nan. Doctors can work wonders these days,’ Mum reassured me. And they did.
Mum had a mastectomy, and all was well.
Eighteen months on, my beautiful daughter Amber arrived, in April 2008.
Life was busy. But, in 2009, I split with my partner.
Being a good mum to the kids was my priority.
That’s why I worried so much about ever finding a lump in my boobs. I really needed to be around for the kids.
Then, in 2011, my fears became a reality.
I found a pea-sized lump in my left breast.
Terrified, I went for a test at a breast clinic the same day.
‘It’s just a cyst,’ a doctor confirmed to me.
Such a relief.
The doctor offered to test if I was a carrier of the BRCA2 gene, which increases the risk of breast and ovarian cancer.
Taking action
Both Mum and I had the test, and our results were positive.
‘I think you should have a preventative mastectomy,’ Mum said gently.
I couldn’t risk developing breast cancer.
‘I’ll do it,’ I decided.
I knew Amber may have inherited the gene, too, and would need tests in the future.
I wanted to set a responsible example for her.
But, as the date of my surgery crept closer, in June 2013, I started feeling nervous.
It was a big operation, and I worried about what I’d look like after.
I was tempted to postpone, but then Angelina Jolie hit the headlines…
Turned out she, too, carried the gene, and had had preventative surgery.
I wanted to help raise awareness, so I put a link to Angelina’s story on my Facebook page.
I explained I was going through the same thing.
I even tweeted former Liberty X singer Michelle Heaton, who’d also spoken out about being a carrier of the gene.
I was thrilled when she tweeted me on the day of my surgery saying, Good luck.
I spoke to my surgeon just before the mastectomy and reconstruction.
‘I don’t mind if you make my boobs a little bit bigger,’ I winked.
I was joking but, as a C-cup, I quite fancied a bigger bust!
‘I may as well go home with
the perfect pair,’ I laughed.
But, when nurses unravelled the elastic strap holding my new boobs in place afterwards, I was gutted.
One was the size of a head, the other tiny.
I had new boobs all right, but they were far from perfect!
‘They’ll even out in time,’ a doctor reassured me.
Smiling again
In May 2014, I underwent a hysterectomy, to further cut my risk of ovarian cancer.
Going into early menopause, I was given HRT to ease the symptoms.
It was a relief knowing I was at a significantly lower risk of developing cancer.
But something still niggled. My boobs hadn’t evened out, and I felt so insecure.
So doctors booked me in for a corrective procedure on the NHS in December 2014.
‘New baubles for Christmas,’ I laughed to my mum.
I didn’t even want bigger boobs this time.
‘Mummy just wants Santa to give her old ones back,’ I joked to the kids.
It took surgeons four and a half hours to reconstruct them. But it was worth it.
When I came round, I was thrilled to bits with my new C-cup boobs.
But, while I’d been in surgery, my dad George, then 62, was in a hospice, seriously ill with emphysema.
I wanted him to see how happy I was. So, the following day, I went to visit.
‘I’m just glad to see you smiling again,’ he beamed.
We celebrated Christmas as a family, and, amazingly,
Dad clung on.
Despite doctors believing he didn’t have long left, he survived for another two years.
My brave dad passed away in February of this year.
‘He was so proud of you,’ Mum tells me often.
But I want to make him even prouder, and raise awareness of the BRCA2 gene.
It really is worth sacrificing your boobs to save your life.
I couldn’t be happier with my new knockers! They’re one Christmas present that’s given me a huge confidence boost.
And to me, that’s priceless.
EXACTLY WHAT I WANTED under THE TREE! I was thrilled with my new C-cups when I woke up