When Lindsay O'Malley began to experience unusual symptoms she assumed it was due to be being pregnant. She was just 33-years-olds and 28 weeks into the pregnancy when she noticed her left breast felt hard. Tests revealed she had an aggressive form of breast cancer, which had already spread to her liver.
Lindsay from Darcy Lever underwent staged chemotherapy treatment at 30, 33 and 36 weeks of her pregnancy. Lindsay O'Malley Baby Rebekah was born safely and recently celebrated her 14th birthday. Lindsay was given more chemotherapy following the birth followed by surgery to remove her left breast and then radiotherapy.
Husband James rallied to support Lindsay, their two-year-old son Joshua and new baby Rebekah. While Lindsay was recovering from the gruelling treatment, she requested genetic testing having found out that her birth mother had been treated for breast cancer. Lindsay had been adopted.
Lindsay tested positive for the faulty BRCA1 gene. She urged her birth mum to consider genetic testing and she too tested positive. Lindsay chose to have a full hysterectomy which plunged her straight into the menopause in her 30s.
The following year she had preventative surgery to remove her right breast. Thirty years ago this month, Cancer Research UK scientists were at the forefront of the discovery of the BRCA genes – helping to unlock the knowledge that faults in these genes increase people’s risk of developing certain cancers including breast, ovarian, prostate and pancreat.
