Lesley Murphy, the former D.C. lobbyist who competed on Sean Lowe's season of The Bachelor, announced on March 8 that she's getting a double mastectomy, Us Weekly reports.
After testing positive for BRCA2 — a gene that increases your chances of getting breast cancer and ovarian cancer — she decided to be proactive about her health.
Murphy's mom's history with breast cancer also factored into the decision, as she explained in an Instagram video. "My mom had breast cancer three years ago this month and she is a badass, and I hope to grow up to be like her," she said. "And this is me trying. So I think the right move is just to take care of it right now and do the double mastectomy. I’m 29. It sounds young, but I’m not getting any younger."
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She promised to keep us updated about the process. "In the interim, I'll be celebrating boobs, knowledge, taking action, and my breast cancer surviving mother today," she added.
Then, she posted a video of herself at the doctor's office, where she discussed the surgery with a doctor and got a mammogram, MRI, and ultrasound to make sure she didn't have cancer. Thankfully, she didn't. She also took the opportunity to pose and twirl in her hospital gown, and her positive attitude is infectious.
"It feels SO good to have a support system like y'all, and I love how a platform like @instagram brings people together who've gone through similar circumstances," she wrote. "You say I'm inspiring, but the stories told in my comment section inspired me just the same and reconfirmed my decision to move forward with everything."
Her surgery is scheduled for April 11.