Finding out you are high risk for breast cancer would be tough for any woman, but Maryse Rogers is facing it head on, and she is confident with the decision she has made.
Maryse’s mother had breast cancer in her mid 50’s. Her sister had the disease at 48. Her first cousin also had Breast cancer and her Aunt had ovarian cancer.
Mammograms have been a part of the Moncton woman’s life since she was 40..and during a visit to a specialist. Her risk factors became a reality, “High risk is 25, and I am a 27. I am not willing to wait for that to happen. After talking to my husband, I made the decision to go for a double mastectomy.”
Maryse will be 58 years old in March, and she says her husband has been more than supportive, “He is the most loving man I’ve met, and he told me whatever I decide, he will back me up. But, yes, there are husbands who can’t cope, after women have the surgery done.” Maryse says she knows he will still love her the same, even without breasts.
Not everyone has been supportive though. Maryse says she has also been told that she is nuts to have this done. She admits, is is a very personal choice, “Definitely something that you think about, discuss with people, know that you can live with that decision. It’s not going to be easy, but make sure you have made a firm decision on that, because it’s permanent.”
Maryse says, she has spoken to other cancer previvors, that is someone who is a survivor of a predisposition to cancer but who hasn’t had the disease. She says some of them are as young as 20 years old, who have also decided to go the same route as she has.
