Grandfather's breast cancer diagnosis leads a mother and daughter down a preventive mastectomy journey

No one can help you overcome your fears like a loving grandparent. For Cailynn Madigan, her grandfather, Richard Gordon Howard, helped her overcome hers. At first, it was a fear of thunderstorms.

"I used to be petrified of thunderstorms," said Cailynn. "My grandfather was a storm chaser, so we would spend hours and hours during storms sitting on our front porch. He would just talk to me about the thunderstorms and what was scientifically happening behind them. Eventually, I just wasn't scared anymore. He did that a lot for me in my lifetime, making me not so scared of things anymore, and I still carry that with me to this day."

He also taught her not to fear a disease that can be devastating and deadly. Howard died from breast cancer when Madigan was 17 but got genetic testing showing he had the BRCA2 gene that could get passed on to family members.

The loss hit Madigan hard. Then, in her early 20s, she decided to find out if she also carried the BRCA2 gene.

"I know that he [her grandfather] would want me to take care of myself in the best way I could," said Cailynn. "So, finding out was the first step in being able to take care of myself. I do believe if he was here and was able to talk me through this, he would be proud that I've done all this."

Time to get tested

She got tested and found out she was positive. At age 22, she decided she wanted a preventative double mastectomy before she got a cancer diagnosis.

"It really didn't feel like 'if' you get cancer," said Cailynn. "It felt like a 'you're going to get cancer.' It was a decision that I made before I even knew that I had it [the BRCA2 gene]. That is what I am going to do."

Madigan, the youngest of four siblings, also encouraged her brothers and sister to get tested. Her mom, Susan Madigan, got tested after her father got sick and already knew she was BRCA2 positive. Cailynn had already chosen a general surgeon for the mastectomy and was consulting with plastic surgeons for her reconstructive surgery. It was then Susan decided to join her daughter in deciding to get a preventative mastectomy.

"I knew that I had the BRCA2 gene for eight years before I did anything about it," said Susan. As she [Cailynn] was going through the steps, I started to very slowly wake up and go, wait a minute. I also have BRCA2, and I also have breasts. Why am I not doing what my daughter is doing in saving my life, too? She absolutely inspired me to move forward and take care of myself."

A daughter inspires her mother to join the journey

Cailynn had more than a dozen appointments with plastic surgeons to consult about breast reconstruction. Susan joined Cailynn for an appointment with plastic surgeon Andrea Moreira, MD, and both decided she was the right surgeon for their reconstructive goals.

"From the second she walked in the room, I was like, 'Yep, this is the one I want,'" said Cailynn. "I knew immediately, so we started the process of getting the surgery scheduled."

Dr. Moreira did Cailynn's reconstruction and, the next day, did Susan's.

"This was the first time I did mother and daughter in the same week," said Dr. Moreira.

Cailynn said her surgery had complications, but she was delighted with the final results.

"I was scared because I was losing something that felt like a huge part of me and part of being a woman," said Cailynn. "I was really scared I was never going to feel whole again, but Dr. Moreira has done so far beyond what I could have possibly imagined her to do. My scars are pretty minimal, and I get to feel like a woman, which was really important to me."

Susan was also happy with her results.

"Everything is very different," said Susan. "It's not like I was 18, but it's pretty close, and I'm okay with that."

The mother-daughter duo said going through the process together allowed them to support each other.

"I pushed down a lot of my own feelings and emotions and fears and focused on her," said Susan. "In a way, that helped me get over myself because I wasn't concentrating on this is what I'm losing, what I'm not going to have and what I'm going to look like. I didn't have to take the time to worry about that because I had this other human being who was counting on me to be her mom. All I ever wanted to be was her mom. So, it made it in a lot of ways easier for me to say, 'This hurts,' or, 'Oh yeah, I feel that pain too.'"

Dr. Moreira said Cailynn and Susan's journey showed breast reconstruction is a powerful procedure that can improve lives. She was impressed not only with Cailynn's conviction to be proactive about her health but also how she encouraged others to take charge of their well-being.

"When she saw her grandfather going through all the cancer treatments and everything that happened to him, she decided that she did not want to have to deal with that in her life," said Dr. Moreira. "But there's not only that. She has been a very important person in her family to create change. Her mom had her mastectomies. They both decided to choose to live a healthier lifestyle."

Cailynn said for her, this medical journey didn't end in the operating room. She got therapy, started to exercise, ate healthier and lost weight. This encouraged her mom to do the same. Cailynn said there were times during her treatment she was angry, but when times turned dark, she turned to her grandfather for strength.

"Even though he's not physically here, I talk to him a lot," Cailynn said. "That was a huge sense of relief for me, personally, to be able to say, 'Hey, Grandpa, I'm really struggling today. Can you send me a sign?' It'd be funny because then I logged on to Facebook or Instagram, and a red cardinal would be the first thing I'd see. Then I knew he heard me. He knew I needed help and listened."

Breast cancer awareness for all

Cailynn is grateful her grandfather got the genetic testing for BRCA2 so she and her family members could be proactive about their health. She said she wants men to be aware they are also at risk for breast cancer.

"I feel like a lot of people have embarrassment when it comes to breast cancer, especially men," she said. "What really made me want to talk about this is the fact that it was my grandfather. A lot of people think that men don't get breast cancer, but men also have breast tissue. I really don't feel like people talk about it enough. In October, everyone talks about it because it's Breast Cancer Awareness Month, but breast cancer doesn't just exist in October. It exists 365 days a year, every single month, every single day."

She wants to continue to bring awareness to breast cancer so others can also take control of their well-being.

"Men get breast cancer," said Cailynn. "Women get breast cancer. People get breast cancer. It's okay to talk about it. It's okay to talk about genetic testing as well because I didn't have breast cancer. It's [genetic testing] scary, but it's important because you don't want to find out things too late when you can't do something about it. It changes the way you take care of yourself. It's more than just cancer. It's more than just reconstruction. This is people's lives. Maybe we can get people help faster."

To find a qualified plastic surgeon for any cosmetic or reconstructive procedure, consult a member of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons. All ASPS members are board certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery, have completed an accredited plastic surgery training program, practice in accredited facilities and follow strict standards of safety and ethics. Find an ASPS member in your area.