Ep. 53: Paula Shepherd Gets Real with Her BRCA+ Journey

Sometimes you don't have to actually have HAD cancer to really understand some unspoken cancer truths, like what it's like to be thrown into menopause at a young age or what that first look at yourself post-mastectomy and reconstruction surgery feels like. This week's guest, Paula Shepherd, a mom of 4 and business confidence & leadership coach, shares with us her own journey and experience of discovering that she was BRCA2+ in her 30s, what that meant for her, and her choice to undergo a prophylactic bilateral mastectomy and partial hysterectomy by age 37.  We're diving into: Paula's experience of being told by her doctor at 25 years old that it wasn't a matter of IF she got breast cancer, but WHEN, and what led her and her mother to get tested for the BRCA gene mutation years later Her journey through the decision to have a prophylactic partial hysterectomy after years of infertility struggles The feelings of shame and loneliness Paula felt during her surgical treatment and recovery because she wasn't going through cancer like the other women around her All the things no one tells you about after breast reconstruction surgery (like sleep difficulties and dealing with postsurgical drains with your partner!) How being plunged into menopause shortly after giving birth brought mental health challenges no one prepared her for The silver lining from Paula's own choices about how to manage her BRCA+ diagnosis that also helped her mom during a breast cancer recurrence And so much more!   Follow Paula on IG: https://www.instagram.com/be__fearless_with_paula    Continue the conversation in my free private Facebook group, Surviving is JUST the Beginning: https://www.facebook.com/groups/SurvivingisJUSTtheBeginning/ Join me for a Coffee Chat here: https://fitnessdesignsolutions.as.me/CoffeeChat   Follow me on Instagram and connect for updates about the podcast: https://www.instagram.com/thejennifercochran