Christina Pacitti shows body after preventative mastectomy

Christina Pacitti shows body after preventative mastectomy

A mother-of two has bravely unveiled her bruised and battered body following a double mastectomy to reassure others going through the same provess. 

Christina Pacitti, 30, from Fairmilehead, Edinburgh had both breasts removed and reconstructed after testing positive for the faulty BRCA1 gene, and is gradually learning to love her new body.

'When I first saw my body after the lipomodelling, I looked like I’d been hit by a lorry,’ she explained. 

‘My initial op was lipomodelling, a process where fat is removed from your thighs and or abdomen and grafted into your breasts, followed by my mastectomy with immediate reconstruction last June and then revision surgery in January this year.

‘Over the past seven years, my body has endured a lot: two pregnancies, two births and two major ops. To say it's changed would be an understatement: large scars, small scars, puncture wounds, shadowing from bruises and stretchmarks.

'Some days I’m absolutely heartbroken when I look in the mirror and other days I manage to suck it up, put on some lipstick and get on with life. 

'Yes I’ve got stretchmarks but I’m blessed to have two beautiful, caring children. And my scars? Well in return for those I’m ensuring I’ll be here for my boy and my girl, and that I can grow old with fiance. I’m a previvor.’

Christina Pacitti, 30, from Fairmilehead, Edinburgh had both breasts removed and remodelled after testing positive for the faulty BRCA1 gene

The mother-of-two was left bruised all over after fat was removed from her legs and grafted on to her breasts, to improve the countour after mastectomy

Christina, who is a nail technician and works as a clerical assistant in a school, made the decision to have genetic testing after losing her cousin Maria to ovarian cancer.

When she was given the results, she couldn’t believe it â€" she did carry the gene, putting her at a significantly higher risk of getting ovarian and breast cancer.

‘Immediately I thought of my children,' she said. 'I couldn’t bear the thought of not being around to see them grow up.’

The mother-of-two to Alfie, six, and Lily, four, felt consumed by the results and she found herself crying every day because she felt guilty she might have passed the deadly gene onto her children.

Christina, who is a mother to Alfie, six, and Lily, four, plans to have her fallopian tubes and ovaries removed as a further preventative measure 

But until they can get tested at 18, if they want to, there was nothing she could do except to try and save herself, to ensure she had a future with them.

BRCA1/BRCA2 GENES

Both genes produce tumour suppressor proteins that help to repair damaged DNA and keep cells' genetic material stable. 

A mutation in either gene means its protein isn't made or doesn't work properly so that DNA damage isn't repaired correctly. 

This makes cells more likely to experience more genetic alterations that can lead to cancer, pushing the risk to 85 per cent.

Preventative surgery can reduce the risk of cancer to 12 per cent - lower than that of the general population.  

A mutation can be passed on from a mother or father and you have a 50 per cent chance of inheriting it if your parent is a carrier.   

After a long talk with her fiancé Allan Hood, 37, who works as a Project Business Analyst, Christina decided to take the most drastic action, by having risk-reducing surgery. 

She went ahead with lipomodelling and when Christina saw her battered, bruised body for the first time, she was taken aback.

‘Alfie and Lily have seen my bruises and scars, and I have tried to explain simply that Mummy has had to have some operations to hopefully stop me from being unwell in the future,' she explained. 

‘I feel it’s important for them to see that hospitals aren’t scary places and that people can recover and grow in strength. 

'They are both very sympathetic after my surgeries and asked: "Are you OK Mummy?".

'They were very careful around me and would check if it was OK to have a snuggle. 

'When I came home from my last op, Lily lay beside me and told me it was alright because she was going to look after me.’

When Lily first saw her body after lipomodelling, she felt she looked like she'd been hit by a lorry

Christina admits there are some days where she feels  self conscious about her scars and stretchmarks 

Christina, pictured after she had reconstructive surgery following her mastectomy 

Christina had put her body through so much and was struggling with pain and discomfort. But she tried to remember what it was all for â€" to have a future with her children and fiancé.

‘I was frustrated due to not feeling "normal" and more profoundly, I felt guilty,’ Christina recalled.

‘I felt guilty for my children as there’s a 50 per cent chance that I could have passed the faulty BRCA gene onto them, meaning that they may have to face these difficult decisions when they are older. 

Christina with her supportive fiancé Allan Hood, 37, who helped her make the decision to have surgery 

Christina is now proud to be a ‘voice’ for Ovarian Cancer Action and hopes to use her experiences to help others 

'I also felt guilty for being given the knowledge about the gene mutation and having the opportunity to reduce my risk when other women don’t have that prospect.’

In time, she realised she felt proud of her wounds and that they showed that she had taken steps to save her own life.

Christina will soon be having her fallopian tubes removed, and plans to have her ovaries removed in the next few years. 

She is heartbroken that she and Allan won’t be able to have a third child, but feels extremely grateful to have Alfie and Lily. 

The mother-of-two would have liked another child, but plans to have her ovaries removed to further reduce her risk of cancer 

Family of four: Christina is grateful to have the chance to watch her children grow up and enjoy life with her husband-to-be 

‘I am blessed to already have two beautiful children and although my fiancé and I feel our family is complete, putting a time limit on how long you will remain fertile for raises a whole lot of questions,' she said.

Christina is now proud to be a ‘voice’ for Ovarian Cancer Action and a BRCA Umbrella co-host for Edinburgh and the Lothians.

‘It’s amazing to meet with other women who are going through similar experiences; speaking with people who really can relate to your situation helps the healing process greatly,' she explained.

Scarring under Christina's breasts. She had three operations in total, including a mastectomy and reconstruction 

The blogger wants to show other people considering preventative surgery that there is a positive outcome 

Christina admits that she feels guilty for potentially passing the BRCA1 gene on to her two children 

The devoted mother found out that she carried the BRCA1 gene after she had genetic testing following the death of her cousin 

Alfie and Lily will have to wait until they are 18 before being tested for the BRCA1 gene, if they wish to find out if they're carriers of the mutation 

'I no longer feel like I’m resisting against the process and I’m trying to turn what I initially saw as a negative, into a positive part of my life. 

'Finding out that I carry an altered copy of the BRCA gene had consumed my thoughts for months, with days where I wished I never knew just so I could feel "normal" again. 

'I still sometimes feel the guilt and frustration and I don’t think that will ever go away, but one thing I do know is that somehow, I’ll find the strength to deal with it.’

Christina has also found writing has helped in the healing process. As part of her blog My BRCA Life (www.mybrcalife.wordpress.com). 

With the support of her partner and the therapeutic outlet of blogging, Christina has found peace 

Christina could have passed on the gene to her son, although it causes less of a risk of breast cancer in men 

Christina, pictured last year before she had surgery after testing positive for the BRCA1 gene

The doting mother hopes she can be a role model for other people considering preventative surgery 

She has found that sharing her photos of her baring all, including intimate pictures of her scars and bruises, help to reassure and support other women going through the same or similar situation.

‘It’s been a great tool for me to look back at what I’ve been through and realise that I have overcome things I never thought I could,’ she says. ‘The blog has had a great response with women contacting me from all over the world saying that they have found it helpful as they can relate to my experiences both physically and emotionally.’

For more information about how your family history could impact your cancer risk, or to find out about genetic testing, visit www.ovarian.org.uk/brca

Christina said she's agonised with feelings of guilt because she may have passed the faulty gene on to her children 

Until Lily is old enough to be tested, Christina is focusing on enjoying the present and living life to the full