Charlotte Hamer saw her mum tragically die when she was just a child and shared she could have faced a similar fate – the young woman made one decision that could have saved her life
Charlotte Hamer said she had the same gene that led to her mum’s death(Image: Kennedy News & Media)
A woman who underwent a lifechanging surgery at just 21 said the decision was a “no brainer” after learning she carried a deadly gene.
Charlotte Hamer decided to be tested for a specific gene mutation, after her mum died of breast cancer when she was 10 years old. In November 2020, aged just 19, Charlotte was told that like her mum she was a carrier of the faulty BRCA2 gene – which increases the risk of getting breast cancer. The 23-year-old said it was a “no brainer” that she would have a double mastectomy, and that she felt “empowered” to make the decision.
Charlotte underwent a double mastectomy at just 21(Image: Kennedy News & Media)READ MORE: ‘I’m a dying man and the council stripped me of my home, cancer meds and clothes’READ MORE: Dad who had colon cancer at 31 shares 5 early warning signs people ‘often miss’
Charlotte, from Preston, Lancashire, said: “My mum was told she had the BRCA mutation so from a very early age I’ve known there’s a possibility that I will carry the gene. I was four years old when my mum was diagnosed with breast cancer.
“My mum passed away when I was 10 so I really knew the impact that breast cancer and this gene can have on people. I went [to get my results] with my grandma, because she’s been a massive person in my life since I lost my mum.
“I saw her tearing up but I thought ‘how lucky am I that I’ve found out and mum never got that opportunity?’. Don’t get me wrong, that’s a really positive way of looking at it and not everyone has that experience.”
Charlotte in now raising awareness around the BRCA2 gene mutation(Image: Kennedy News & Media)
In October 2023, Charlotte underwent a double mastectomy with reconstruction at just 21, with the surgery slashing her chances of developing breast cancer from 80% to 4%. She said: “I actually felt really empowered – my mum never had the opportunity to do something and she died.
“I was like ‘I need to do what I can do and make sure that I can live a long, healthy life and give myself the possibility to live a long healthy life’. Before I had my mastectomy I had an 80% of having breast cancer in my lifetime, it’s now at about 4%. For me it was a bit of a no brainer [to have the surgery] because I watched my mum suffer from cancer.”
She added: “I remember looking at my mum like she was a warrior. At 10 years old I always thought she was amazing but as I get older, I’m in complete awe of her. I would love to have kids one day and I don’t want my kids to have to worry like I did.
The young woman in a hospital bed(Image: Kennedy News & Media)
“For me it was a bit of a no brainer but it can be different for girls who have never had to go through that or might have a more emotional attachment to their breasts. I thought ‘my boobs don’t define me’.”
Charlotte had reconstructive surgery at the same time as her double mastectomy but after suffering from complications, she had to have her implants removed to allow her body to heal. She said: “I was one of the unlucky ones. I had an immediate reconstruction but I had complications so I had to end up going flat.
“Before I had my surgery, I was a 32DD. I remember thinking to myself, ‘I’m 22 and I’ve gone from having a DD chest to a flat chest’. I woke up and I was like ‘what the hell?’ It was insane. I remember thinking to myself ‘would I rather be flat because I’ve had to have a mastectomy, than it happen in future because I’ve had breast cancer?’.
Charlotte said the decision to have the lifechanging surgery was a ‘no brainer'(Image: Kennedy News & Media)
“At first I was struggling, you look in the mirror and you don’t even recognise yourself. I went from having natural boobs, to my reconstructed boobs, then a few months later having loose skin and a flat chest. To be honest I was a bit heartbroken.
“It got to the point where I was like I’ve never felt so connected to my mum because I had an insight into what she must have felt and what she must have gone through.” In November 2024, Charlotte had her final reconstructive surgery and had another set of implants fitted – and is now a 32E.
She now wants to raise awareness of the BRCA2 gene mutation and help to support other women on their journey. Alongside her friend, Libby Pearson, Charlotte has set up @‌thebrcajourney on Instagram to help support other women who have been diagnosed with the same gene mutation.
Charlotte said: “We now have 45 women from all over the world in the group. It’s still only a very new page and a very new community but so quickly we’ve had loads of women join. It’s been one of the most empowering things I’ve ever done because we’ve brought so many women together. We’ve connected women from all over the world. Libby and I have become really great friends and we’re navigating this experience together.”