Saudi sisters bravely confront high risk of cancer with prophylactic mastectomy

Three Saudi sisters who are at a very high risk of breast cancer overcame their fears and underwent a prophylactic mastectomy.

Reem and Rana Hajar said they and their third sister lived through a certain experience that made them decide to do the operation.

In an interview with television program Sayidaty aired by Rotana Khalejia on Thursday, Reem and Rana said their mother suffered from breast cancer twice so a doctor advised them to test for the genetic genes behind the disease.

They decided to do the surgery four months after receiving the test results and they separately underwent the surgery within a period of six months.

Their family including their mother who fought cancer twice greatly supported them, they said.

They noted that they and their third sister, all university students, read a lot about the surgery and advised those who plan to test for the genes to be brave and consider undergoing the surgery if they need to.

Safinaz Sandi, the girls’ mothers, said she had refused performing the gene testing as she was afraid of the results, adding that after suffering from the disease again in 2015, she changed her mind and decided to support her daughters.