MY BREASTS COULD KILL ME – WITH DAWN PORTER
Breast Cancer claims the lives of more women in the UK than any other disease. 1 in 9 women will contract it at some point in their lives. 12,000 women die from it each year. In My Breasts Could Kill Me writer and TV presenter Dawn Porter embarks on a very personal and emotional journey that explores the nature of breast cancer and the treatments, stigmas and genetics connected to the illness. Dawn’s own mother and great-grandmother died as young women from the disease and in these two films, Dawn will discover whether she herself is genetically predisposed to developing it.
Over three months, Dawn meets women (and men) who suffer from breast cancer, as well as undergoing tests herself – a mammogram, an MRI scan, and a genetic test – to ascertain if she has the precursors to the illness. The thought of finding out if she is genetically predisposed to breast cancer is a terrifying thought, and presents Dawn with the genuine prospect of having a pre-emptive, voluntary mastectomy.
The danger for Dawn is considerable. Even before she embarks on any tests, Dawn discovers that her family history gives her a 40% chance of developing breast cancer. But the tests may reveal even greater risk. Of the faulty genes she may have inherited, the most critical are called BRCA1 and BRCA2. Given her family history, the chance of Dawn having inherited faults in these genes is 50/50. And if the faults are present, she has an 80% chance of contracting breast cancer. The genetic test results may therefore give Dawn an unenviable decision: whether to remove her breasts in order to prevent cancer developing in the first place.
Dawn Porter; “Breast cancer doesn’t only affect middle aged women. It affects young women like Kris, Liz and Becky and young fit men like Jon. I want to raise awareness of the disease and change people’s perceptions. I’ve wanted to make this film ever since I started working in TV. I feel like it’s the most personal journey I’ve been on, and despite the often distressing moments for myself and contributors during filming I have never felt such satisfaction with a project. It has been an inspiring and exciting series. I hope it will educate, inform and offer a different perspective on breast cancer.”
Throughout filming Dawn was referred to Europe’s first purpose-built breast cancer prevention centre (The Nightingale and Genesis Prevention Centre in Manchester), where she was assessed by one of the country’s leading experts on the genetic causes of breast cancer, Professor Gareth Evans.
Along the way Dawn meets many inspiring people whose lives have been changed forever because of their relationship with breast cancer. These include:
· A mother and daughter who have both had elective mastectomy’s and were the first and youngest to have this type of surgery in the UK.
· A 23 year old who was continually told she did not have cancer only to be told she had, and it had metastasised in her spine. She is now encouraging young women to “Coppafeel” at festivals across the UK and check themselves,
· A 32 year old man who has had to come to terms with having a “woman’s” disease and the stigma’s attached to this including attaining the nickname ‘Johnny One Boob’.
· A 29 year old woman who has become a lingerie model focussing on underwear for women who have had breast surgery.
Emotional, informative and hopefully life-saving, My Breasts Could Kill Me is an eye opening, heart-wrenching and uplifting investigation into an all-too-common killer.
My Breasts Could Kill Me will air on Sky1 and Sky1 HD on Monday 6th and Tuesday 7th July at 10pm.
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I have had genetic testing for BC.I was told in writing that a BRCA gene was not found BUT and this was underlined that this did NOT mean that there was not one.Current tests are limited. Also family cancers may due to genes yet undiscovered.Although I thought the programme to be very good this information was misleading.A genetic test is not 100cent accurate.I would also like to know how tests results were obtained in eight weeks.
I have just been diagnosed with breast cancer and found this programme disturbing for many reasons. The first was Dawn Porter. I gradually became fed up with her self obsession with her own breasts. One especially momentus comment was her walking in the street and casually saying that she wasn’t so worried about dying as losing her breasts. What a completely selfish and pathetic thing to say. She kept going on about how she just couldn’t bear to lose her femininity!!! Oh hard luck love. Some of us don’t have that choice. I found her quite insensitive to those who were close to death and felt the tears were rather forced. I am aware that this programme was on sky one so was not intended to be serios viewing!!!! But I an afraid the subject matter dealt with should have been done so in a totally different way. I don’t know how the makers of the programme or dawn porter can sleep at night. There are those of us who are going through mastectomys in a few weeks and were looking for serious viewing for a serious condition.
l was diagnosed with breast cancer in early december 2008 and had a mastectomy on the 18th dec 2008. my cancer was picked up, as 13yrs previously l did a tamoxofen trial for 5yrs at the frenchay hospital in bristol,on the IBS Study. in november 2008 l was invited by the IBS Study at frenchay to do another trial for a different drug which l agreed to do, before the trial started l needed to have a mammogram,scan, and various blood tests,which these picked up the breast cancer, l had a biopsy there and then at the breast clinic which said it was grade 2/3 but would not be positive until l had the operation, l was given 3 options a lumpectomy, mastectomy, or bilateral mastectomy(if dawn porter had taken the trouble to do a little more research she would have known it is not called a “Double Mastectomy”) so l opted for the mastectomy because l have the gene and because of my family history which is quite extensive. My mother died of it aged 63yrs in 1973 her mother died of it at the age of 59yrs, also 3 of my mothers sisters died of it, 2 cousins died of it plus l have 5 sisters who 4 of us have had breast cancer me being latest one at the age of 66yrs, l also have 3 nieces who have the gene. l have now opted to have the other breast removed and are due to go into frenchay next week to have this done, l have not had or going to have breast reconstruction, i will be only too happy to be free of them, as l have always been big breasted, an it will be wonderful not to have to wear a bra, and this does not make me any the less feminine.
Dawn Porter needs to grow up and stop acting like a spoilt child, whilst watching the program l became more and more incensed at her and wanted to shake the day lights out of her, the program did no favours, all it did was highlight a rather spoilt child who was more interested in her self image than anything else.
l also cannot imagine the NHS doing all the tests a mri scan the gene test on the ordinary every day joe blogs, it is just too hard strapped for money. l was lucky as l attended the IBS study and they do all this testing etc anyway, so the tv program would only give false hope to many a woman who would want all this done.
l agree with everything that Ruth Rankin has said, real women who have been diagnosed with the decease do not carry on like dawn porter,she was not convincing at all it was as if she was play acting, which of course she was. it is a shock at first but after that we get on with it, there is so much more treatment available to us now than when my mother and grandmother were diagnosed with it