IT WAS her chance of ridding herself of a cruel disease that ultimately claimed the life of her mother.

Faced with the prospect of almost certainly falling victim to cancer, a Hampshire mum has spoken of her radical surgery to reduce those chances.

Carly Mackie made the brave choice to undergo a double mastectomy and hysterectomy in her mid 30s to reduce her risks of developing the same deadly cancer her mother battled and insists it is was one of the best decisions she ever made.

Now, just days after that terrible illness has claimed her mum’s life, she is urging other women to consider making that decision.

Carly Mackie received the shattering verdict that she was a carrier of a cancerous gene indicating that she has a 90 per cent chance of developing breast cancer and a 40 per cent chance of ovarian cancer in the future.

A letter from her doctor informing her she was a carrier of the particular gene came through her door as her mum Anne Ford battled ovarian cancer.

Tragically mum Anne Ford lost her fight and died last Thursday – aged 60.

Carly, speaking on World Health Day, says her decision to go into the operating theatre and remove both breasts and her ovaries was the right decision.

The procedures have hit the headlines more regularly after Hollywood actress Angelina Jolie opted for a double mastectomy followed by a hysterectomy two years later.

Carly, a 36-year-old mum-of-two from Lee-on-the-Solent was sent for the test after being considered a risk following her mother’s diagnosis and her grandmother previously dying from breast cancer when Anne was still a child.

Carly – who also has two cousins with breast cancer – tested positive for the gene but her sister Lisa Walker, 35, does not carry it.

Carly said: “When I told my mum that I carried the gene she was naturally upset and blamed herself, which I thought was unnecessary but as a mother to two daughters I could understand it.

“Seeing what mum is going went through made me realise how important it was to reduce that high statistic the doctor gave me and just do away with my breasts and ovaries, as no matter how hard it is to remove my womanly parts it would be much harder to deal with a cancer diagnosis.”

She says the decision to have the operation – five months after the gene was detected in 2014 – was easier for her than some other women because she had already started a family.

And she fears the time when her daughters Chloe, six, and Emily, two, have to make that decision when they have grown up.

She said: “It wasn’t a hard decision. I’m the perfect age for it. I have had my fun years of no responsibilities. I’m married and have two children and there was no way I would put myself at the risk of cancer.Everybody’s situation is different and it has to be a personal decision. People shouldn’t rush into it if they still want more children.

“For me I wanted the risk over with.

"But my daughters could be tested at 18 and then have to make that decision before they have even lived, and I’d hate to think they may change their path in life because of carrying the gene.

“I’m convincing myself that by the time they’re 18 there will be some kind of futuristic pill that they will take instead to eliminate getting cancer.”

The human resources manager says she had three months off work to undergo both operations which were six weeks apart.

But she says the pain and the eventual road to recovery was less agonising than the prospect of going through cancer treatments such as chemotherapy - while catching the disease could eventually lead to a mastectomy anyway.

She said: “My mother was dying of ovarian cancer so how could mope about having to have surgery that at least It gives me the chance to live my life and not catch it. And for that I’m incredibly lucky.”

“My mum and her mum didn’t have this chance and I feel grateful for that chance.”

What is the risk?

-BRCA1 and BRCA2 are human genes that if not functioning correctly are more likely to develop genetic alterations that can lead to cancer.

- Around 12 percent of women will develop breast cancer sometime during their lives, studies have found.

- People may be eligible for predictive testing on the NHS test if the faulty gene has already been identified in one of your relatives, or if there is a strong family history of cancer.

-Testing involves a diagnostic blood test of a relative already with cancer - with results ready four to eight weeks later.

- A positive result means you have a greatly increased risk of developing cancer. It doesn’t mean you have cancer or are definitely going to develop it and you can take steps to managing your risk of developing it.

-If you have one of the faulty BRCA genes, there is a 50 per cent chance you will pass this on to any children you have and a 50 per cent chance that each of your siblings also has it.

- The results of some genetic tests are inconclusive – doctors may identify a variation in a gene, but not know what effect it may have.

If you believe you may be at a greater risk, contact your GP.