A FORMER Miss Swindon who had a preventative double mastectomy has teamed up with the Great Western Hospital’s only female breast surgeon to talk about cancer.

Sarah-Jane Howe and consultant surgeon Anushka Chaudhry have very different experiences of breast cancer, and they hope to share their knowledge with other women during Breast Cancer Awareness Month at a Think Pink awareness and information event on October 23.

They are inviting men and women to an informal evening of cheese and wine at The Old Bank from 7pm-9pm, where they can learn more about breast cancer and have a chance to ask questions about the disease.

Mum-of-three Sarah-Jane said: “We just want to get people to ask all the questions they’ve always wanted to ask but maybe never had the opportunity to or maybe thought they were silly questions.

“We just want to create a place where people feel safe to talk about breast cancer.”

Sarah-Jane’s family has been plagued with the disease and, shortly after finding out she had the gene which meant she had a 98 per cent risk of getting breast cancer, eight years ago she took the decision to have a preventative double mastectomy.

The 41-year-old said: “When you know you have got something like that you do something – not doing something is like playing Russian Roulette with your life.

“It was an incredibly difficult decision, because breasts are an important part of being a woman, but I just looked at my three children and I thought about what my mum went through and I just thought that if I could do something then I should do it.”

Preventative surgery was a last resort for Sarah-Jane and part of the evening will be about informing and reassuring women about the disease and the options available.

Anushka said: “There have been a number of famous, glamorous women who have had preventative surgery and have spoken publically about their experiences of breast cancer, which has helped to raise a lot of awareness. As a result there have been a lot of women coming into the clinic asking about having the surgery, and so the evening will be less about raising awareness but more about providing information to people.

“It’s always been a real passion of mine to try and empower people with knowledge and breast cancer.”

Anushka came to the Great Western Hospital in January, and has found it can be reassuring to patients to have the chance to see a female surgeon.

She said: “Sometimes people do come to the clinics and they ask to see a female, and they have always said it’s good to be able to have the choice. I think they feel more comfortable talking to a woman, particularly when it comes to talking about breasts.

“I do know lots of female consultants, but they are all over the country since only four per cent of consultant surgeons are women.”

Visitors will also have an opportunity to speak to members of the breast team from the GWH, and to take part in a session where they learn how to properly examine themselves for potential tumours.

Anushka said: “We just want to keep it really relaxed and informal and there probably will be a few giggles.”