A WOMAN has spoken of why she “lopped off her boobs” at 30 years old.

Cancer has cast a dark shadow over the family of Christen Williams.

The Worthing woman lost her mum, Pauline, to ovarian cancer in 2015.

The family discovered several of them are carrying a family BRCA gene, meaning they have a higher risk of developing cancer.

So Christen, now 32, said she made the “difficult decision” to have a double mastectomy to keep herself "alive for longer".

She said: “Having the test to see if I carried the gene mutation didn’t seem like a huge deal. I assumed I had it and if I didn’t, that would be a huge bonus.

“Once I knew I had it, I found it empowering because it meant I could keep myself alive for longer. However, it became a much bigger deal to think about having a double mastectomy.

“That was a very, very difficult decision to make - I loved my boobs.

“But in the end, I loved my life more.”

The Argus: 'I found it empowering because it meant I could keep myself alive for longer''I found it empowering because it meant I could keep myself alive for longer'

One in seven women will develop breast cancer during their lifetime in the UK.

Researchers think that about five to ten percent of breast cancers are caused by an inherited faulty gene. 

Christen was desperate for clear information and to talk to other people who had been in her situation but couldn’t find either.

“I couldn’t find accessible information or anyone else like me. So, I decided to do something about it,” she said.

Christen founded an Instagram account @brcachatter and a YouTube channel to share her experience from pre-op to recovery and beyond.

Along with fellow BRCA "mutant" Lisa Bancroft, Christen is in the process of setting up a charity to support those navigating BRCA.

“These days I love being a ‘mutant’ and chatting about boobies and ovaries,” she said. “If I can use this experience to help others, it’s all worth it in my eyes.

“Although I wasn’t particularly conscious of feeling anxious before I had the mastectomy, after I woke up from the operation, I felt so relieved to know I wasn’t going to die from breast cancer.

“In the vlog I talk about the operation, which wasn’t as painful as I thought it would be, recovery, and learning to love your new body, as well as talking to other women and men about their experience.”

Now, as well as vlogging and aware of the need for further research, Christen is preparing to take on a challenge on behalf of Cancer Research UK.

She is taking part in Race for Life at Home to help the charity carry on the fight against the disease until the nation is out of lockdown.  

She has already blown her target and raised nearly £700.

Christen joins thousands of people across the UK who are taking on the challenge alone or in small, socially distanced groups this April to raise money for life-saving research.  

“I’m not a runner so my plan is to walk, skip and dance the 5k with the hoops spinning round different parts of my body,” she said.

“My Mum would be totally thrilled - and laughing her head off - at the thought of me hooping 5k. 

“I’m looking forward to the challenge and raising funds for further research to help develop gentler and more effective treatments for those who go on to develop cancer.”  

People can visit raceforlife.org to sign up to Race for Life at Home for £5* then receive a Race pack which includes a medal. 

Money raised will help scientists find new ways to prevent, diagnose and treat cancer, helping to save more lives.

To sponsor Christen click here.

To sign up for Race for Life at Home click here.

A live broadcast on the Cancer Research UK Race for Life Facebook and Race for Life Instagram pages tomorrow.

Lynn Daly, Cancer Research UK’s spokesperson for Sussex, said: “Even while we have to remain apart, we can unite against cancer.

“There are so many reasons to Race for Life at Home - to help save lives, for those who have had vital treatment delayed or just to get off the sofa. We want people to run, walk or jog 5K or their own activity to raise money for life-saving research.

“The truth is, COVID-19 has slowed us down.  But we will never stop and we are determined to continue to create better cancer treatments for tomorrow.  

"Even though we have to Race for Life differently this spring, nothing is going to stop us raising money to help beat cancer. That’s why we need people to to sign up, stand united and do something extraordinary to help beat cancer."