Armed with this knowledge, I had three options: do nothing, have regular breast screenings with the hope of catching cancer early or have preventative surgery to reduce the risk. I chose a double mastectomy and breast reduction which, according to my doctor, would reduce my risk of disease by 95% (although that number is different for every woman).

I would be the first generation in my family to have the capacity to stop cancer in its tracks. But that fact didn’t make the prospect of surgery and underdoing a fundamental, physical change any easier. I wanted to become – and feel – the strongest version of myself going into that operating theatre, so strength training became a core part of my prep. I also started speaking to other BRCA+ women who’d undergone a double mastectomy and breast reconstruction. As well as practical advice on recovery, they showed me that it was possible to thrive post-op – that having a mastectomy wouldn’t hold me back from doing anything I wanted to; one woman I met had just started rock climbing.

“I had a double mastectomy at 25 – here’s how strength training helped me to mentally and physically prepare”