Genetic breast cancer test was 'life saving'
BBCA woman who discovered she had a higher risk of developing breast cancer has praised the science centre where she was tested.
Abbie Yorke, from Bishop Auckland, County Durham, was diagnosed with a BRCA gene variant by a team at Newcastle's Life Science Centre 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 boys," she said. Ms Yorke went on to have a preventive double mastectomy in 2024.
She said she was "very proud" of the science centre - which has celebrated its 25th anniversary - and called the team who helped her "life saving".
The Life Science Centre was officially opened by 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 fertility centre at the site, she recalled seeing the first scan of her children in 2022.
"I'll never forget [it]," 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 Conlan, 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."