“I had my ovaries removed at 19 and got skin cancer aged 21” from porphyria diagnostic testing Watch Video

⏲ Duration: 3:42
👁 View: 850K times
✓ Published: 28-Jun-2024

Description:
A woman has told how she made the difficult decision to have her ovaries removed aged 19 to stop her developing cancer.<br/><br/>Emily Balck, 24, was diagnosed with Turner syndrome when she was in the womb. <br/><br/>The condition makes her five times more likely to develop skin cancer and 30% more likely to develop ovarian cancer had her ovaries removed aged just 19. <br/><br/>In addition to having her ovaries removed as a teen, she also had skin cancer on her neck aged 22.<br/><br/>Emily from Salem, Oregon, said: “It can be pretty lonely to have the condition and it’s pretty shocking to get cancer at such a young age but I’m not letting it get in the way of living my life to the fullest.” <br/><br/>The condition affects 1 in 2,000 women and is caused by one of the X chromosomes (sex chromosomes) being missing. <br/><br/>It can cause a variety of medical and developmental problems, including short height, failure of the ovaries to develop, heart defects, and increased likelihood of certain forms of cancer. <br/><br/>Her parents knew about her diagnosis before she was born – a rarity given that most people are not aware they have it until they reach adolescence. <br/><br/>Emily said: \