Two sisters whose family has been shattered by cancer are fronting a national campaign designed to save lives.
Steph Mcilhiney, from Turriff, made the agonising decision to undergo a double mastectomy after doctors said she had a 90% chance of developing the same cancer that claimed the life of her mum.
Her sister, Lindsey Milne, was diagnosed with cancer while mum Anne Moar was going through treatment.
And just 10 weeks before Mrs Mcilhiney’s operation, her aunt, Denise Kaczmarek, was also diagnosed.
Mrs Mcilhiney and her sister will now help front the Stand Up To Cancer campaign in memory of her mum and aunt who last night she described as being “like twins”.
The 34-year-old said: “It’s time to rebel against cancer as I’ve seen this terrible disease rip through my family taking too many of the people I love.
“My mum and auntie were more like twins than sisters. They shared everything as adults and it was devastating when they died.
“People sometimes say I’ve been brave but I had no choice. I had to have surgery to stay alive, basically. I know what it’s like to lose my mum to cancer. I don’t want my children to have to go through the same thing.”
Mrs Mcilhiney underwent the surgery in 2013 after testing positive for the BRCA1 gene, which is known to trigger breast and ovarian cancer.
She faces more surgery in the future to have her ovaries removed.
Mrs Milne, 35, was at colleage when she was diagnosed – and was treated on the same ward as her mum in the spring of 2005.
She said: “Mum was grieving for her sister, grieving for herself and worrying about me at the same time.
“But my treatment was actually going well. I remember saying to mum: ‘Doctors tell me I’m going to be alright.’
“Mum died shortly after this – just after my treatment came to an end. It was almost as though mum clung on long enough until she knew I was going to be OK then could finally let go.”
The pair will link up with a host of celebrities to take part in the Stand Up To Cancer campaign this autumn.
Since it was launched in 2012, the campaign has raised more than £38million to fund clinical trials and research projects.
