# Woman Who Had Preemptive Mastectomy Creates Book About Breast Cancer Survivors

- Link: https://stayathomemum.com.au/news-opinion/general/woman-who-had-preemptive-mastectomy-creates-book-about-breast-cancer-survivors/
- Published: 2016-10-22T09:00:30+11:00
- Author: Clare Whitfield

#### _A woman who had preemptive mastectomy has created a powerful book containing photos of herself and other breast cancer survivors to tell their amazing stories._

At 29 years old, Katelyn Carey decided to have a preemptive mastectomy after learning
that she had high chances of getting breast cancer after her mother, aunt and great
grandmother had died from the disease.

[⌊Woman with tattoos and jewelry smiling outdoors after mastectomy⌉⌊Woman with tattoos and jewelry smiling outdoors after mastectomy⌉ ](https://i0.wp.com/stayathomemum.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/cancer.jpg?quality=89&ssl=1)

She told�Daily Mail Australia that she had been ‘living in fear of the disease from
a very young age,’ yet,�when it came time to have the mastectomy, Ms Carey felt 
overwhelmed and unprepared. “How am I going to feel, how am I going to have that
conversation with people I’m dating, how long till my body feels like mine again?”
she said, but still, she went under the knife.

She said it was not until three years later when she�became comfortable in her body
again after�her now-husband took some photos of her and her scars.

“It took those photos for me to feel whole and beautiful again.

“So I took them and tried to create something that I thought would have helped me,”
she said.

Since then, Ms Carey said that she has spent the next three years meeting other�
women and men who had gone through mastectomies, interviewing them and photographing
them.

[⌊Woman who had preemptive mastectomy creates book about breast cancer survivors
| stay at home mum⌉⌊Woman who had preemptive mastectomy creates book about breast
cancer survivors | stay at home mum⌉[

The result was a book called [Beauty After Breast Cancer](http://beautyafterbreastcancer.com/),
which told the stories of many women, each in their individual way.

Ms Carey said that one woman told her how the book inspired her. The woman said:“
I describe it as a�medical resource book, a letter from your best friend and the
mastectomy version of the Sports Illustrated magazine all in one.”

Ms Carey said that the book was a complete labour of love. She said that it has 
also�helped many battling with breast cancer, and added that�she�receives thank 
you letters from all over the world.

Source:�[Dailymail.co.uk](http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-3854356/Breast-cancer-survivor-pens-new-book-mastectomies.html)

![author avatar](https://i0.wp.com/stayathomemum.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2025/
12/clare_whitfield_profile.webp?quality=80&ssl=1)

 Clare Whitfield Chief Editor

 Clare Whitfield is the Editor of Stay at Home Mum and a recognised voice in practical
home management for Australian families. Based in the northern suburbs of Sydney,
she balances editorial leadership with life as a stay at home mum to two school 
age children. Her background in home economics and more than a decade of experience
in recipe development, family budgeting, and household systems inform her work.

 [See Full Bio](https://stayathomemum.com.au/author/clare_whitfield/) [  ](https://stayathomemum.com.au/author/clare_whitfield/)