THREE sisters have had their breasts removed to cheat a hereditary cancer that killed their mum when she was just 32 years old. Two of the sisters have also had their wombs removed, with the third due to follow their lead in the near future. Luan Moreton, Kim Jones and Jemma Dennis, watched helplessly as their mum Rita was killed by breast cancer when they were just schoolgirls. But it wasn’t until Luan, of Nuneaton, was diagnosed with the same deadly disease nearly two decades later that they realised that their own lives were also in danger. All three sisters had inherited a faulty gene from their mother putting them at greater risk of breast tumours and ovarian cancer. Luan said: “It was daunting, but we agreed that we would all rather have the operation than not be around in a few years time. “We were all very close growing up after what happened to mum but these operations have made us even closer.” When Rita died in 1986 her family had no idea she had an aggressive gene that raised the risk of cancer. They only found out after Luan discovered a lump in her breast while showering in 2005. She went under the knife to have the tumour removed, before enduring six months of chemotherapy and four weeks of radiotherapy. The treatment was successful, but further examination revealed Luan was carrying the BRCA1 gene – the main trigger for the disease. That meant there was a 50% chance both Kim and Jemma would have the gene too. Test results quickly confirmed that both did. Mum-of-one Luan, 38, said: “We are lucky because we realised we all had the gene and took steps to prevent it from developing. Our mum had the gene but she was never tested for it. “It was too late for her but we were able to do something about it.” All three sisters made the agonising choice to have their breasts removed. They each had a double mastectomy surgery – which lasted up to 10 hours – then reconstructive surgery to rebuild their breasts. Youngest sister Jemma had the operation first, before Luan went under the knife at George Eliot Hospital in Nuneaton in 2008. Mum-of-two Kim, from Tamworth, was the last to have the op. Jemma, from Leicester, said: “For me it wasn’t even a decision. It wasn’t a case of ‘if’ I got cancer it was a case of ‘when’. I didn’t want to just sit and wait for it to happen.” However, as the trio recovered they were dealt another blow. Doctors told them the BRCA1 gene could also strike in their ovaries, dramatically raising their risk of developing cancer in their 40s. Now Luan and Kim have both had hysterectomies, while Jemma will undergo the same procedure once she has tried for children with her husband Mark. Luan said: “I have given up work for the moment as I just wanted to spend a bit more time with my husband Sean and son Nate. “We all know the value of family especially after what has happened. “We will now tell our children about it and make sure they are also aware – it is hereditary so obviously there is a chance they could have it too.” | 
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