Fitness, Beauty, and Relationships in the BRCA World

Sarah Messali tested positive for a mutation in the BRCA2 gene when she was 18 years old. By her early 20s, she was getting regular breast screenings. Watching her mother go through a diagnosis of triple negative breast cancer solidified her decision to pursue a prophylactic mastectomy with reconstruction. Sarah has written extensively about how her surgeries and long recoveries have impacted her life and her young children. Her writing includes a deeply personal look at how she feels about her breasts and how this has impacted her self-esteem, her dating life, and her passion for weightlifting, health, and physical fitness.

Story Reference Points:

Sarah’s BRCA2 positive result at age 18 @ 1:42

Sarah’s decision to pursue a prophylactic mastectomy @ 5:46

Breast reconstruction outcomes @ 13:45

Breast reconstruction, fitness, and 2nd opinions @ 17:44

Sarah loses her aunt to breast cancer in 2nd grade @ 24:53

Dating in a new chapter of life @ 27:10

Sarah’s boudoir photo shoot @ 31:25

Connect with Sarah on Social Media:

Sarah on Instagram: @SarahNMessali

Sarah on Twitter: @SarahMessali

Links and Resources

“I Love my Body More, Since Having a Mastectomy.”Worthy.October 14, 2018.

BRCA Fitness and Nutrition Facebook Group

Check out other Patient Stories podcast episodes.

Read one of Sarah’s blog posts as well as other Patient Stories on the Grey Genetics Patient Stories Page

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