Why a Young Mother Had Both of Her Breasts Removed

During a controversial episode of "Grey's Anatomy," a young woman underwent a double mastectomy to prevent getting breast cancer.

But for 36-year-old Wendy Kretchmer, daughter of Hollywood super agent Norman Brokaw, this was no primetime script.

With a family history of breast and ovarian cancer, Wendy underwent genetic testing, and that is when she got the shocking wake-up call that she carried a positive gene for both diseases.

“When I was told you have the cancer gene, I was in disbelief and in shock,” Wendy admitted. “My second reaction was what do I need to do to save my life?”

“We're all born with BRACA genes,” Wendy continued. “These are the genes that help suppress breast and ovarian cancer. And most people are born with two healthy genes, and in my case, I had a mutation.”

This mutation meant that Wendy had an 87 percent chance of getting breast cancer and a 30 percent chance of getting ovarian cancer sometime in her life.

“If anyone was in Vegas and playing those odds, they would do the same thing that I did,” Wendy insisted.

So with the love and support of her husband and family, Wendy made the drastic decision to have a hysterectomy and a double mastectomy.

“Two days before my mastectomies, yeah, I had a breakdown,” Wendy admitted. “I cried. I gave myself time to mourn what was going to happen. And it was a dark moment. But you know what? I took a lemon and turned it into lemonade.”

Two months after surgery, doctors began to reconstruct Wendy’s breasts, and she soon discovered other young women who had made the same life altering decision.

“Recently we got together for these little peek-a-boos to see the progress of where we're all at in this journey of reconstruction,” she revealed.

Now Wendy's journey focuses on raising public awareness about the BRACA gene and on the future health of her two daughters who may also be at risk.

“What my daughter said to me was, ‘Am I going to have to get surgery too, like you mommy?’ I said, ‘You know, I don't know. I hope not. But you know what? If you did have to have surgery, it wouldn’t be for a really long time.’”

“You’ve got to scream from the mountain top about it, so we all know,” Wendy insisted. “If doctors are not telling people about it, then who is?”

For more information on the BRCA gene mutation and support, go the FORCE website, facingourrisk.org