AFTER undergoing an invasive procedure to save her from a destructive disease, a woman from Horwich has stood up to face the camera.

When Jay Walker was 18, her mum Allison Wardell discovered she had breast cancer for the first time.

She successfully battled the disease but 10 years later was diagnosed again, this time in her other breast.

The diagnosis also set alarm bells off for Jay.

With two paternal great aunts having died from breast cancer, she began to wonder if there was a genetic link and if it could be hereditary.

While doctors ruled out the BRCA gene - which produces a hereditary breast-ovarian cancer syndrome - there could also be other causes.

The 38-year-old explains: "Our family history couldn’t be just coincidence as mum had developed two primary cancers, 10 years apart, bilaterally - one in each breast - and at a young age, all of which alone is extremely rare.

"Tests revealed that my mum’s cancer was hormone positive which ruled out a known mutated BRCA gene as this is usually hormone negative.

"However, although our gene had not been isolated, Genetic Counselling told me that they were aware of unidentified faulty genes like BRCA that they are working to identify and isolate."

Five years ago Jay took the decision to have pre-emptive surgery and have her breasts removed in order to stop any chance of the cancer developing.

It took four years from the first appointment with her surgery before the date was set for a double mastectomy with immediate reconstruction at The Nightingale Centre at Wythenshawe Hospital.

She was 36 at the time of the operation – which took place in September last year – and describes it as a "relief" .

Jay adds: "I was determined that I wanted preventive surgery. I couldn’t face the fear and anxiety of always waiting for a cancer diagnosis, it felt like a sword hanging over my head.

"It was the easiest decision I have ever made in my life. I knew from the age of 20 when my mum was diagnosed again that it was not something I ever wanted to go through.

"I went to sleep talking about Netflix with a nurse and woke up to find I had a robotic pair of boobs attached to tubes.

"It has changed my life. I am mentally the best I have ever been. I never saw my breasts as sexual, they were just potentially life threatening and now I am happy. I really can't explain the difference!"

Fortunately Allison fought her way through the second cancer diagnosis and has been six years free of the condition.

She backed Jay's decision for the mastectomy and was concerned more for the recovery afterwards.

Now Jay has made it her mission to help others going through the same thing.

While awaiting surgery she became involved in the National Hereditary Breast Cancer Helpline, set up by Wendy Watson – the first woman in the UK thought to have had a risk reducing breast surgery.

As a result campaigner Jay is now one of 12 women who have had the surgery to appear in a journal for the helpline.

Getting to Know My Genes and Me features the women in strong posses alongside their stories and blank pages for the owner to record their own story.

The journal will be used by the charity as a tool for newly diagnosed women to record their own journeys as they make decisions about how to proceed with the news that they are carrying one of the faulty genes.

Jay says: "Doing that was scarier than the operation!

"It is bizarre that people still don't talk about these things. I want to normalise it and help people realise it is not scary.

"Some people would look at me like I'm an alien and ask why i would do it. They act like you are a sadomasochist.

"People can't believe I would talk about it or do something so drastic and that is one of the reasons why i wanted to take part in the journal – you should absolutely not feel ashamed for making this decision."

The journal featuring Jay’s story was sponsored by www.anita.com and can be bought from www.eloise.co.uk priced £9.99.

All proceeds go to support the National Hereditary Breast Cancer Helpline who can be contacted on 01629 813 000.