Kelly James's BRCA Gene2 Surgery

As women, we’re told to check our breasts, look out for warning signs of ill health and to stay strong for our families.

But what happens when you’re a 39-year-old mother of three and told you carry the mutated BRCA Gene 2 gene, giving you an up to 80% chance of contracting breast cancer in your lifetime?

You take action.

My friend Kelly James has decided to have preventive cancer care in the form of a double mastectomy and reconstructive surgery, but because she doesn’t yet have cancer, it is considered elective and therefore not fully covered.

Kelly’s story starts 2 years ago when her mother, Linda, then 58, got breast cancer and had to have a mastectomy. There is a strong maternal history of death from breast cancer in Kelly’s family: her grandmother at 52, great grandmother, in her early 50’s, Linda’s aunt, 33, plus two cousins in their late 30’s.

On May 12, Kelly, who is a special education teacher in Toowoomba, will have a Bilateral Mastectomy with an immediate TRAM reconstruction using tissue from her stomach. 

As you can appreciate, this is major surgery and it will take 12 hours, plus 2 weeks’ recovery in a Brisbane hospital and at least 8-12 weeks before she will be able to get back to work.  But this important surgery will decrease her chance of getting breast to around 1%. 

Still caring for her mother, who now has lung disease due to the effects of chemotherapy and has almost died twice from pneumonia, Kelly has three children aged 7, 6 and 4, so not doing the surgery is not an option. 

She has looked into the public system to have this procedure done, but unfortunately the waiting period is up to 2 years, time Kelly has been advised not to spend waiting.

As this is considered elective surgery she will be out of pocket by $37000. In New Zealand and England, this is considered preventive cancer care and as such is fully covered by their National Health insurance.

Stopping this life-altering disease of Breast Cancer would save our national health system millions of dollars.

Like many Australians, finding a spare $37000 is out of the question.  Kelly does have some superannuation, which hopefully she can access, however, if they approve the early withdrawal to pay for surgery, she will be taxed at 22% on the amount being borrowed, which means her super fund will be drained by $45000.

Kelly is devastated as she also worries about her children. What if they too have this gene which has a 50/50 chance at birth of occurring?  Can she help them financially in the future with removing the BRCA gene 2 through IVF if and when they decide to have children of their own?

Kelly has a loving and supportive husband, but like many women, she takes on a lot of responsibility, not only for her own family but for others through her special education teaching.

It breaks my heart to see this beautiful family thrown so many curve balls, but as Kelly she says, what doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger!

Please keep Kelly in your thoughts and if you would like to assist her in her quest to stop cancer in its tracks, please consider donating what you can to help.