Sachi C

Living with cancer since 2016

Sachi looks at her young daughter, and the young girl stares delightedly back at her mum. There is a sparkle in both of their eyes as they connect. For Sachi, this is a role reversal: she was once the daughter looking into her own mother's eyes. And it was her mother who had cancer. Now it's Sachi's turn.

I feel so fortunate to be born at a time when I could detect this and do something about it.

Sachi's mother was diagnosed with breast cancer at age 30 and had a radical mastectomy. At age 45, her mother was then diagnosed with stage IV ovarian cancer and passed away four years later, at 49. Her mother's cancer experience made Sachi a candidate for a free high-risk hereditary genetic testing programme. She tested positive for the BRCA1 gene. This is a gene mutation that increases the risk of several types of cancer. But Sachi was determined to rewrite her own family history and not repeat her mother's experience.

Sachi made the decision to get a double mastectomy and total hysterectomy in 2016. During the hysterectomy, her doctors discovered a tumour in her fallopian tube. She then underwent 6 rounds of chemo to eliminate any remaining cancer found in her body. It was a hard time both physically and emotionally, as it brought up painful memories of her mother's diagnosis. But Sachi also resolved to use those experiences to make decisions around her care and treatment. From the very beginning, Sachi decided to be vocal about her cancer in a way her mother wasn't.

That was the big thing that was missing when my mum had cancer. We never talked about it at all. We didn't talk about any feelings associated with it or anything. So it was really important for me to be very open about it.