BBC's Claira Hermet throws 'Goodbye Boobs' tarty before double mastectomy

January 22, 2015  23:46

27-year-old radio and TV presenter Claira Hermet decided to commemorate her final days before undergoing a preventive double mastectomy by throwing a “Goodbye Boobs” party, which featured drinking, dancing, and (because why not) boob-shaped cupcakes.

Hermet’s procedure is a safeguard against breast cancer, which has already claimed the lives of her mother and older sister. Hermet herself found out she carries the BRCA1 gene when she was only 19, after learning about her sister’s diagnosis. Women who carry the gene face up to an 85 percent chance of getting breast cancer over their lives — a statistic that, after many years of reflection, Hermet decided she didn’t want to be a part of.

“The decision didn't happen overnight. It was a long slog and I had to change myself first, to recognize that my breasts didn't define me and if a man was going to leave me it wouldn't be because I'd lost them,” she told the Daily Mail. “Of course, there have been times when I've got out of the shower, sat in front of the mirror and said, 'Ah, I'm going to miss you two.' But that's not constructive and I don't dwell on it.”

To combat those blues, Hermet gathered her friends in preparation for what she called “Double D Day.” The party served as a reminder to stay positive and proactive about personal health, she says. It also has helped her find a sense of closure over her mother and sister.

“One thing I have learnt is that we get this life once,” Hermet wrote in a BBC blog post. “I've spent a lot of it feeling sad and unhappy. My sister's death was a turning point. She doesn't have her life, but I have mine. I have and will continue to strive to make my life one of happiness, positivity, and purpose.”

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