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Breast surgery woman's tough decision

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AFTER many tears, much pain and a stint in tomboy clothes, Christine Keepence is once again embracing her femininity.

The Gold Coaster has just completed the first stage of breast reconstruction after making the difficult choice to have her healthy breasts removed last month because of a genetically high risk of developing breast cancer.

Christine and her sisters, Veronica and Elisha Neave, have tested positively to BRCA2, a genetic malfunction that gives them up to an 80 per cent lifetime risk of getting breast cancer.

The Neave family is raising awareness about the gene by making a self-funded documentary, Pieces of Me, due for release early next year.

Christine said she'd had a time of grieving after her prophylactic mastectomy but was back at work three weeks after surgery.

"I had a week of crying pretty much, which I didn't expect," she said.

"Appearance-wise, when I got past the initial shock of having a flat chest, it was kind of funky.

"I found myself wearing more tomboyish clothes because I didn't feel feminine, so that was a bit of a novelty."

During the surgery Christine had temporary expanding bags placed behind her pectoral muscle, which paved the way for the start of her reconstruction three weeks later.

Once a week for a month she had an injection of saline to expand the bags and the pectoral muscle, which increased the size of her chest.

The inflamed muscle will now be left to recover until Christine has surgery in February to replace the temporary bags with silicone implants.

The 41-year-old said she did not associate herself with the 'lumps on her chest' yet.

"By the end of February (my chest) will be back to normal but I won't regain feeling," she said.

"At the end of the day though if that's the only downside, and I don't have to go through the worries my sisters are going through, having to constantly have checks, then I'm really, really lucky."

Christine said she was happy with the decision she had made.

The mother-of-one said her family had been inundated with emails from women around Australia since The Bulletin and other media covered the story.

"So many women have contacted us saying they thought they were the only ones going through this," she said. "We've also become a point of reference for people looking for information.

"Because the science was ahead of the medicine, the increased awareness has brought the two a little bit closer together."

Filming for Pieces of Me, which follows the journeys of the three sisters, is expected to finish this week.

Christine said Veronica was currently going through her options and Elisha was digesting the information.