Miss District of Columbia Allyn Rose is not taking any chances with her health. The model and part time paralegal reveals she has chosen to undergo a double mastectomy at age 24 because she has a rare genetic disorder that makes it more likely she will contract breast cancer. Rose lost her mother to breast cancer 8 years ago.
“It's a very strange change in our genetic code. Almost all of the women in my family have passed away from it,” Rose tells People magazine.
Although she is scared of the changes she is making to her body, Rose insists she is happy with her decision. "The idea that I could wake up one day and not have the same body that I did the day before is very scary. But I also realize my mom was diagnosed at 27. That's three years away from me,” she explains. “I'm not going to let my fear of losing this part of my femininity stop me from living."
Rose says her mom’s death played a big part in helping her decide to be proactive about her health. "My mom had her right breast removed at 27, but at 47 or 48, it came back in her left breast. It was already stage three. She could have had that other breast removed, but I'm sure there was a part of her that thought she didn't want to give up this other part of herself,” she tells People.
“My dad said he begged her for years and years to get it removed, but she said no. It's ultimately the thing that killed her,” says Rose.
"Breasts don't define your life. I'm choosing life over beauty,” she adds, citing breast cancer survivors like Robin Roberts and Giuliana Rancic as her role models. “I'm choosing to remove something that's so iconic to my womanhood.”
Rose will schedule her surgery around what happens at the Miss America pageant in January. If she wins, she plans to have surgery in 2014. If she loses, the surgery will happen after June when her duties as Miss District of Columbia are completed.
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