I Had A Booby Shower

Before my bilateral mastectomy and breast reconstruction, I asked my friends to throw me a "Booby Shower" and gave a farewell to my breasts.

I'm Jessica. I just turned 38-years-old and live in Austin, TX. That's my beautiful city in the background.

Dor Anis

Overlooking the downtown Austin skyline from Rainey Street

In 2015, I had genetic testing performed where I learned I had a significant mutation and was a high risk for breast cancer. I wasn't surprised as this disease runs in my family. My maternal grandmother and aunt had breast cancer. My grandmother is alive today but sadly my aunt was diagnosed at 39 and passed away at the age of 45.

My doctor recommended yearly mammograms and other early detection measures. But the stress of having BRCA took an emotional toll on my life. At every exam, I'd suffer from panic attacks. The attacks were affecting me subconsciously and sometimes they'd wake me up in the middle of the night. Then I found a mass on my breast in October 2017 and it turned out to be a cyst. It terrified me and that's when I decided to look at other preventative measures.

A year ago, I started doing research on getting a mastectomy. Some people thought it'd be better for me to have this operation after I had children or I was too young. But I was anxious, depressed and had no peace of mind. I felt doomed, like I was just living my life waiting to get cancer. By January 2019, I scheduled a consultation with a breast surgeon and plastic surgeon. My mind was made up.

My Booby Shower on March 30, 2019

Lindsay Jo

I don't have children so I've never had a baby shower. I thought, "Why not have a Booby Shower?" and that's what I did.

This is my first time to ever have surgery and I'm nervous. But I always try to approach things that scare me with an open mind and a sense of humor. I know how lucky I am that I get to have fun with my decision because I’m not sick. While I’m scared, I don’t want to be sad.

Jessica Jimenez

A boob-themed party. Who wouldn't enjoy that?

The booby shower was about celebrating a lot of things: taking control of my body, enjoying life, and living it up now. I have a long recovery ahead and will be giving up a lot of things I love: alcohol, SoulCycle and hot yoga just to name a few. Mostly, I wanted a chance to see people I love and have fun before facing what's to come.

Monique Hayes

"Pick Your Cup Size." Instead of writing names on the solo cups, we had bra sizes. All my friends were drinking out of pink cups that said "38DDD" or another cup size. It was made everyone smile.

It was overwhelming to see my friends come out to support and celebrate with me. I got really emotional. When I posted photos on my social media the next day, I had people messaging me "How freakin' cool is that?" "I would have gone!" "We need more booby showers and less baby showers!" "You're a genius!" and "This is so you. Not surprised you did this." It was a fun night and exactly what I needed before my surgery. A chance to laugh and let loose. We had the "breast" time!

Jessica Jimenez

My beautiful, strong and supportive friends. I'm so lucky to have them in my life.

My surgery is scheduled for April 10. I'm sharing my story because I want to create more awareness. Many people still don't know about BRCA. We're so fortunate to have resources and don't have to just wait for cancer to happen. We can stay ahead of it or, if we're lucky, maybe we can stop it. Look into genetic testing and once you know you can consider your options then decide the best way to move forward.