Genetic breast cancer test was 'life saving'
BBCA woman who discovered she had a higher risk of developing breast cancer has praised the facility where she was tested.
Abbie Yorke, from Bishop Auckland, County Durham, was diagnosed with a BRCA gene variant by a team at Newcastle Hospital's Northern Genetics Service, based at the International Centre for Life, in 2022. The variant increases a person's risk of developing breast and ovarian cancer.
"It almost felt like I could act upon it to safeguard me but also my little boy," she said. Ms Yorke went on to have a preventive double mastectomy in 2024.
She said she was "very proud" of the centre - which has celebrated its 25th anniversary - and called the team who helped her "life saving".
Life was officially opened by Queen Elizabeth II in May 2000 and has since been home to medical research and treatment, spanning fertility to diseases including cancer.
Lindsey Power, from Newcastle, said whenever she drives through the city she always points out the site to her triplets.
"It was always my dream to have a baby and I knew that I would have to go down the IVF route or the fertility route," she said.
After seeking help from the Newcastle Fertility Centre, she recalled seeing the first scan of her children in 2022.
"I'll never forget," she said. "There were two sacs there… it was confirmed just before Christmas – there's triplets there."
She said the team "from start to end were fantastic".
Linda Conlon, chief executive of Life, said: "Over that quarter century there have been numerous breakthroughs in medical research, which have enhanced the lives of so many people.
"It's been a rollercoaster of a 25 years."