A mum-of-three has chosen to have both breasts and her womb removed at 27 after learning she was at high risk of developing cancer.
Haley Kelly, from Fernandina Beach, Florida, lost her grandmother to ovarian cancer and great-grandmother to breast cancer.
She then had to witness her mother being diagnosed with stage four ovarian cancer at just nine years old.
“After the diagnosis, she was tested for the BRCA mutation given our family’s extensive history,” Haley told Jam Press.
“That’s when she found out we had a BRCA 1 mutation in our family, and that meant that I had a 50% chance of inheriting it.
“I felt really scared at first, but it didn’t truly hit home until I tested positive myself.
“I was scared of what that would mean for me in terms of having children, finding a husband, and navigating risk-reducing surgeries or surveillance.”
At 20 years old, Haley, who is a registered nurse, decided to get tested for the gene mutation, which can increase the risk of developing breast cancer by up to 80% and ovarian cancer by approximately 50%.
Unfortunately, they discovered she also had the gene mutation.
The first person she reached out to was her high school sweetheart, Ty, as although they had broken up over two years earlier, he was a huge support.
She said: “We met when I was only 16 and actually went to my junior prom together.
“We hadn’t talked for about a year at the time of my diagnosis.
“We rekindled our relationship shortly after me finding out, and the rest was history!”
The pair married in July 2016 and decided to start trying for children right away.
Haley said: “We knew if we wanted children, especially multiple children, we needed to have them while I was young.
“We had Kash when I was 23, Kannon when I was 25, and Kolbie when I was 26.
“I had my double mastectomy and hysterectomy on schedule when Kolbie was only three months old.
“We felt a peace about her being our last biological child.
“Our little family felt complete with her in it, so we went ahead and booked the surgeries.”
Haley was told that the “rule of thumb” was to have surgery 10 years before the youngest diagnosis in her family, which was her mum at 34.
She said: “That would put me only at 24. I knew this wasn’t possible because I knew I wanted children and a family of my own, so I monitored very closely and had my three babies as close together as possible after getting married.
“Knowing it was coming is what scared me, so I decided to take action against my mutation before cancer took action on me.”
On 9 September 2021, Haley elected to have a prophylactic double mastectomy with tissue expander placement and a total robotic-assisted hysterectomy, bilateral salpingectomy, bilateral oophorectomy, removing her breast tissue, ovaries, fallopian tubes, cervix, and uterus.
Haley said: “I felt very nervous, my biggest fear obviously was that they were going to go in there to remove everything and find cancer already beginning to grow.
“I’m also a nurse In the operating room, so there was a part of me that was fearful of surgery itself since I’ve seen ‘the good the bad and the ugly’ of surgery from my nursing perspective.”
She was in the hospital for two nights while the hospital sent all of her removed tissues off to pathology to be tested for any cancerous or precancerous cells.
Thankfully, the tests all came back as benign.
As both her ovaries were removed, she is now on full hormone replacement therapy to prevent surgical menopause.
She said: “I was only 27 years old, I made the choice to go onto hormone replacement therapy.
“It was either that or be in full-blown surgical menopause at 27, which has its own sets of risk factors in addition to the menopause symptoms like hot flashes, heart disease, osteoporosis, etc.
“I think this was the right decision for me and I plan to remain on HRT until I am menopause age (around 50).”
Now four months on, she has been recovering and healing in preparation for more surgery to replace her tissue expanders with breast implants to hopefully complete her breast reconstruction.
Haley said: “I was very nervous about this whole process, but I’ve been amazed at my body and how it’s healed.
“I spent the first six weeks under strict orders not to lift anything over five pounds, and that was the hardest thing about it all since I had three children under four running around.
“But with the help and support of family and friends I have made I through it and am so happy to be back carrying my children around and running on my treadmill.”
After sharing her story online, she has been overwhelmed with support.
She said: “I also was so blessed to be able to connect with so many women online who are facing similar situations and choices I was and am facing.
“If sharing my story helps one woman have the confidence to take control of her health then this was all worth it to me.”
In a clip posted on TikTok, her husband Ty, 29, shared a video of Hayley on the beach with her drains coming out of her chest, saying she gets embarrassed about them and scars.
Ty captions the post “I’m so incredibly honoured to call this beautiful soul my bride!”
The clip went viral on TikTok, where it racked up more than two million views and was liked 145,000 times.
One person commented: “Previvor here too… what a positive light she is, scars will heal and drains will go away… you’re stronger than cancer!”
“She’s stunning, and a strong woman. Hope she’s recovering well,” another user said.
Someone else added: “So beautiful, BUT THEN SHE SMILED AT YOU.”
“We are warriors!! Diagnosed at 33 w BRCA2, mastectomy and total hysterectomy soon after. 35 now and living life everyday,” another person commented.
Another user said: “God bless your beautiful wife. She has been through a lot at her age. I know she has good & bad days, but she is handling this with such grace!”
“Brave and beautiful. My wife had the same thing a few years ago. She is my hero,” added someone else.
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