Mom who had double mastectomy embraces new body

By Ben Barry via SWNS

A mom who had a double mastectomy without reconstruction is embracing her new body and posing topless - despite trolls telling her she looks like a boy.

Danielle Moore, 34, noticed a lump in her left breast but at the time was breastfeeding her son Dexter, now four, and thought it was a blocked milk duct.

Over the space of a few months, Danielle noticed the lump started to grow and in June 2021 she was referred to her breast clinic to get checked out.

A month later, Danielle was diagnosed with stage three breast cancer and it had spread to her nearby lymph nodes.

After 13 rounds of chemotherapy, on February 9, 2022, Danielle had a double mastectomy - a surgical procedure to remove both breasts - to remove the cancer.

Danielle said she opted for the surgery to make sure the cancer was "completely gone" but said she was repeatedly trolled online for her appearance.

She really suffered with her mental health and said it is an "ongoing journey" to accept her body.

Danielle, a beautician, from Bristol, said: "My mental health was in the bin, it sparked a fire in me that was really hard to keep on top of.

"You spend so long fighting to be alive, you have this operation and it is a real struggle.

"I had to go to therapy to process everything that had gone on at such a young age.

"Doctors prepare you for the medical side but the mental load is almost worse.

"There is not much you can do to prepare yourself."

In November 2020, Danielle was breastfeeding when she noticed a lump high up in her chest - but she assumed it was a blocked milk duct.

Danielle said: "I ignored it initially but I went to the GP who dismissed me because of my age.

"I was sent for a referral to the breast clinic to be sure and that got cancelled due to covid.

"It kept growing bigger and bigger you could start to see it."

Danielle went back to her GP in June 2021 and was again referred to a breast clinic - where it was confirmed she had stage three breast cancer.

She said: "It was completely unexpected, because of covid I had to go to the appointment on my own.

"I felt really well and I had no history of breast cancer in my family.

"I skipped into the appointment thinking it was a cyst and everything would be fine.

"When they told me I had breast cancer it was like an out-of-body experience."

Danielle's cancer had spread to her nearby lymph nodes and she was told she would need chemotherapy.

She underwent 13 rounds of chemotherapy before having a mastectomy in February 2022.

Danielle said: "I feel like I went into fight of flight mode, it was very much as case of 'tell me what I have to do and let's get it done'.

"My daughter was just starting reception, my son was still a baby and the treatment made me miss out on a lot.

"I wanted the double mastectomy to make sure it was completely gone."

Danielle said you can't fully prepare yourself for such a "dramatic" change and she struggled with her mental health after the surgery.

She said: "It is not a surgery you could ever dream of having, it is an ongoing journey of being able to appreciate being alive and learning about your new body.

"I live in fear of the cancer returning every single day.

"I have daily pain where I have so much nerve damage in my chest - that is a permanent reminder of what happened.

"I am only 34 and my kids are growing up, at this point, people are in the prime of their life but I feel like an old lady after everything I have gone through."

In October 2023, Danielle fronted a campaign led by Erika Lust for Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

She said: "I was approached to take part in this campaign to raise awareness and show body diversity.

"It was a great campaign to be part of and really gave me a new level of body confidence.

"Having a double mastectomy is such a taboo subject - people don't really speak about it."