Daughter follows mother in choosing operation after tumour gene diagnosis

Emma Deighton is to have a double mastectomy at the age of 25 after tests found she carried the BRCA1 gene.

Her mother Sarah Crowther – a breast cancer survivor – has already had her ovaries removed to reduce her chances of getting the disease to 25 per cent.

Now, Ms Deighton is also to undergo the radical operation, the same as star Angelina Jolie, as she still faces about an 80 per cent chance of developing breast cancer.

She said: “When I found out the results, I knew that’s what I had to do. I can’t risk waiting.

“I will be in pain and uncomfortable for a few days but that’s nothing compared to dying and leaving my little girl without a mum.”

Ms Crowther, from Pudsey, Leeds, underwent treatment for breast cancer in 2009.

After that, she underwent genetic testing because of her family history – her sister has had breast cancer aged 36 and her father has had prostate cancer.

The results showed she carries the faulty BRCA1 gene.

“If you develop breast cancer, it puts you down to a 50 per cent chance of getting it again,” she said.

“Then if you have your ovaries removed, that brings the chance down to 25 per cent.”

Ms Crowther decided against a mastectomy, but her eldest daughter Emma decided she wanted to have the surgery.

The mother to four-year-old Olivia said: “There’s something I can do about it, so I will do it.”

Ms Crowther’s other children Laura, 21, Holly, 17, and twins Tom and James, 16, have not yet decided whether to have the tests.

Both women are fundraising for Cancer Research UK and a family team will take part in the charity’s Race for Life at Temple Newsam, Leeds, later this month.

Donations can be made online – at www.raceforlifesponsorme.org/fab-four3.