The Block 2022‘s Sarah-Jane Wilson has revealed she underwent life-saving surgery after discovering she carries a breast cancer gene.
Just weeks after she and her husband Tom Calleja were forced to sell their car after making just $20,000 on auction day, the 30-year-old has divulged that she had a double mastectomy after learning she carries the BRCA1 gene.
According to Sarah-Jane, the surgery was approved just one day before The Block‘s November 5 auctions.
“It’s been a long time in the making. I’ve been on this list for five-plus years,” she said on her Instagram Story on November 2022.
“Then, the day before The Block auction, they called me: ‘We’ve got a spot for you’.”
The mum of one decided to undergo the operation as her mother first developed breast cancer at 36 years old.
“It is day five since my double mastectomy, and I’ve got my compression bra on, which they ask you to wear afterwards,” she revealed, showing her protective get-up.
She explained that she had all of her breast tissue removed before getting implants.
“I’ve got some bruising, but all going pretty well, to be honest,” Sarah-Jane confessed.
“And I do have nipples, for people asking! They were able to save my nipples; not everybody’s nipples are salvageable.”
However, she noted that she has “no feeling” above or below her breasts, nor any “sensation” in her nipples.
What Is the BRCA Gene and How Does It Affect People Who Carry It?
While BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes typically protect people from developing breast cancer, inheriting a gene mutation in one of these genes increases a person’s risk of developing cancer.
Being a carrier of the BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene gives women a 45 to 90 per cent lifetime risk of cancer.
The gene can also increase breast cancer risk in men.
For more information, go to the Breast Cancer Network Australia.
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