Carla Atherton was told in 2014 that she was BRCA positive. This news turned her life upside down as it meant she had an 87% chance of developing breast cancer – because of this she opted for a preventative double Mastectomy in 2015. Since then she has been spreading the word about BRCA and hoping to show people that you can still be sexy and love your body even after life-changing surgery. Read Carla’s interview below or to find out more about her and the campaign, click here.
Full Name:
Carla Atherton,
Age:
Aged 34
Where you’re from:
from Chester, Cheshire, UK.
Tell us about yourself – What’s your Story?
I grew up with my mum and my brother, living near Chester, where I attended high school. I then went to John Moore University where I graduated in 2005 with a Criminal Justice Degree. Since then I have predominately worked in the banking industry. 4 years ago I took the plunge and went self-employed as a contractor working in project management. I now live with my boyfriend Arron in Chester and we are very happy together.
I was told I was BRCA1 positive in November 2014 and I have come on a long way since then. Over the last two years I have set up a BRCA page on Facebook to blog my journey of being BRCA and difficulties I have had to face through preventative surgeries. The blog now has nearly a 1000 followers and I spend about an hour each night replying to messages off women reaching out for support.
I’m an Ambassador for BRCA Umbrella who was my life line when I found out I was BRCA positive. They are an amazing support group for women and men who carry the gene! I run a support group in North Wales where women can get together, share experiences and look for support from other people going through the same journey.
I am also a voice for Ovarian Cancer Action and support them with raising BRCA awareness, they have shared my story on their website and I recently featured in their autumn magazine highlighting the struggles with the NHS and BRCA.
I am doing everything I can to support other women, raise awareness, gain facts and share my knowledge. On the Friday before the shoot I am going to The Eve Appeal to be part of a clinical trial called BRCA Protect, for more information please visit their website….
In my spare time nothing more excites me as much as spending time with my family and seeing the world with my boyfriend. Since being together we have shared some amazing experiences; from seeing the Taj Mahal, diving in the Great Barrier Reef and even handling pythons on a subway train in New York (Don’t ask)!
I also enjoy doing random things, an example is me recently taken up learning mandarin in my local university, xie xie.
You opted to have a double mastectomy and reconstructive surgery can you please tell us more about this, how it came about, how you coped, some more information about the procedure?
Before 2014 I hadn’t heard of the word BRCA. I knew my father’s side of the family had a history of breast cancer at a young age, but I didn’t think that males could be carriers of a hereditary breast cancer gene. I had previously been to my GP about my dad’s family history, I was referred to a breast clinic in Chester. The breast clinic advised I had no higher risk than the general population and didn’t offer any screening as the cancer risk was not on my maternal side. This was approximately 10 years ago and I didn’t think any more of it after this point.
My auntie contacted me out of the blue early 2014 to tell me she had tested positive for the BRCA gene and this is where my journey started. I was tested positive for the BRCA1 breast cancer gene on the 5th November 2014. Being told I had a lifetime risk of up to 87% for getting breast cancer and up to 60% for Ovarian cancer was completely overwhelming. I immediately asked for a referral to see a breast surgeon and a gynaecologist to start the preventative surgery procedure.
I had my bilateral preventative mastectomy direct to implants on 14th August 2015. My new ‘foobs’ are not like my breasts from before. I don’t have any feeling there at all because all the nerves have also been removed. They feel different also as there is no natural breast tissue or fat left; the implant has been placed over my muscle and then strapped to my muscle using strattice (pig skin).
The next part of my journey is to hopefully start a family and then reduce my risk of Ovarian Cancer. My chance of ovarian cancer is up to 60% and with BRCA1 it is early onset. The guidelines that I know of for BRCA 1 is to have the ovaries removed from 35-40 at the latest. I am 34 with no children and I would love to start a family. I have started talking to the fertility unit in my local hospital to discuss my options. The NHS have declined egg freezing but we were offered IVF. We are just working out our options and going through fertility testing. When I reach 35 the risk for ovarian cancer greatly increases, so I have already been put on 3 monthly ovarian cancer surveillance due to my age and being BRCA1 positive.
I hear you’re working on a Petition with the NHS. Can you tell us more about this and what you hope to achieve?
It would be great if more focus was given on BRCA with all our NHS services. I have struggled greatly over the last couple of years with the NHS and I know a lot of BRCA women that have had to deal with the same issues I have had to face. I don’t want this for our future generations. I don’t want young girls not knowing what their options are what their risks are, not thinking they don’t have support and having to play the postcode lottery for treatment. I love our NHS and I am eternally grateful for the services it has to offer, but it must adapt to change and refresh their skills with new research that is coming out. With this in mind, I have started a petition to bring this to focus with the government, I need 100, 000 signatures to get it there. A few things I am hoping to achieve:
A central place for clear and factual information on what the BRCA mutation means, what ALL the risks are associated with it and what surveillance needs to happen for BRCA Carriers, both male and female. This to be standardised across the country and shared to all our NHS services to allow the same level of service.
To have a comprehensive list of the different types of preventative surgeries for both breast and ovaries, with before and after pictures so women can see what the results look like. We also need advice on what we can do to get our bodies ‘fighting fit’ ready to take on the challenge.
For all the different options to be available no matter where you live in the UK.
To have a dedicated team of help care professionals that understand our history and the risks associated with BRCA to avoid us having to repeat sensitive information.
Most importantly, testing to be much more readily available to both women and men, especially if they have had ovarian cancer, cancer at a young age or family members have had cancer. What a lot of women are doing now is opting for private testing as they don’t fit NHS criteria and they are testing positive, like I didn’t unless my father got tested.
To back up the petition I have started a questionnaire. I have about 60 BRCA positive women across the UK willing to take part and I am currently working with Ovarian Cancer Action to bring it into life. The questionnaire will focus on the available options and support for women from being told they are BRCA positive through to have their surgeries and the aftercare / follow up (if offered). This will provide factual evidence of the discrepancies with the support from the NHS for BRCA women and men. This can also become a tool for charities to use to focus their work on.
What’s your greatest achievement?
I struggled trying to drill down my achievements to just one as I am proud of them all, for different reasons. To summarise I am proud to have pushed myself through life to become the successful independent woman I am now, that is my greatest achievement. From gaining my degree , to raising money for charity with hell runs and half marathons, to taking a massive leap of faith and a whole lot of risk by becoming self-employed 4 years ago, to up to now where I am an Ambassador for BRCA Umbrella (BRCA Support group) and a Voice for Ovarian Cancer Action. I never thought I would have had the confidence to become a self-employed contractor or the ability to set up my own BRCA Support group and especially not be able to talk publicly for a charity, but I have done them all! Boom!
What’s the hardest thing you’ve ever had to overcome?
The year 2015.
This was by far the toughest year of not only my life but of my families. My mum was diagnosed with breast cancer in March. My cousin, Eirian, lost her life to cancer (at the age of 36) in June and I had to undergo my preventative double mastectomy in August.
The recovery was hard in itself but I ended up getting an infection in the left foob 6 weeks after surgery. This pushed my recovery time from six weeks to four months, during that time I was unable to work and do ‘normal’ things like exercise and drive! Another hard thing I’ve overcome with my mastectomy is not being able to get in from a long ass day at work, whip off my bra and give the hooters a good rub! There is no nicer feeling, right?! Not having any feeling there at all has been difficult, but you learn to live with it, you just have to.
What’s your favourite attribute? (Can be either personality trait or physical appearance).
I love to make people laugh, bringing a smile across people’s faces and brightening their day makes me happy!
When do you feel most sexy?
Putting on a new lingerie set then taking a good look at how my mastectomy foobs sit in the bra and telling myself I will always have ‘it’! Ohh and dancing, I love to dance!
What, in your opinion, is #TheNewSexy?
Women come in all shapes and sizes; curvy, slim, tall and small which don’t fit into what is being portrayed in the mainstream media. Don’t get me wrong, the women are beautiful and sexy in their own right but they do not represent all women. They certainly do not represent women like me, who have had to undergo major surgery. I am confident and sexy with how I am now, I am a new kind of sexy and it doesn’t take having my breasts removed to change that. That to me is #TheNewSexy.
Why do you think it’s so important that the fashion industry shows diversity?
The fashion industry has a huge influence on how all women (young and old) see themselves and others. If they showed diversity, they would be portraying that it is ok to be yourself. Because it is! It is so important to show our younger generation that you don’t have to be like the next person, that you have your own individuality. It is also wonderful to show all women no matter what their journey has been that they can still put on a dress and be #TheNewSexy
When shopping, if you saw more women who looked like you in a promotion, would you be more inclined to buy?
I would say seeing more diversity in a promotion would make me more inclined, yes. This is because it would be more relatable to who I am.
Do you think the media are finally taking note and representing more people?
I would like to think so, with help and the drive from companies like you so thank you.
What advice would you give to your 15 year old self if you knew what you know now?
Go out and get the world; forever be bold, brave and beautiful and most importantly always love yourself first.
What advice would you give to anyone struggling with self-confidence?
It takes time to build self-confidence and a good starting point would be to compliment yourself every day. Do not compare yourself to anyone, we are all different and beautiful in our own way, find yours.
Thanks to Carla for taking part in the campaign and our interview. She looks hot to trot in both Peekaboo and Tuxedo– What a babe! If you want to join the conversation and let us know what you think is the new ‘Sexy’ then Tweet us @DearScantilly using the hashtag #TheNewSexy.
Read the next installment of the campaign with Yasmin here.
Scantilly Peek-A-Boo Black Balcony Bra
Scantilly Peek-A-Boo Black Brief
Scantilly Tuxedo Black Bodysuit
The post #TheNewSexy II – Carla’s Story appeared first on Curvy Kate's Blog.
#TheNewSexy II – Carla’s Story was first posted on November 15, 2016 at 8:16 am.
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