It’s been one year since Lesley Murphy got breast implants after undergoing a preventative double mastectomy. The Bachelor alum, 30, celebrated the anniversary in a blog post on Wednesday, April 11.
“Going public with my preventative double mastectomy has taught me that being open and vulnerable not only aids in the healing process, but it can also save lives,” she wrote. “I don’t mean for that to sound all Grey’s Anatomy dramatic, but I have never known the sheer power of social media and blogging until this experience. Having such a great support group is imperative in healing, and I know that sharing my story has helped other women with a similar story cope with the emotional and physical pain. To thrive. To rise. To survive. Cancer or no cancer.”
Murphy revealed on Instagram last April that she decided to have both of her breasts removed after testing positive for a BRCA2 genetic mutation, meaning she had a higher risk of developing breast and ovarian cancer. She bravely shared a photo of her chest one week after undergoing the procedure at the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute at University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in Little Rock, Arkansas.
In Wednesday’s blog, the Bachelor Winter Games alum recalled the intense pain she felt after the surgery.
“It’s funny to remember the feeling of getting out of that hospital bed for the first time, but it’s almost as if my mind has since gone through this weird case of amnesia,” she wrote. “Not that I’ve gone through child birth, but I feel like women forget about the pain as time goes on. We are badasses like that, I know, but it’s as if the magic outweighs the trauma. Some people get new babies. Other people get new boobs.”
Murphy wrote that she is now working out again, “just in different sports bras.” She also noted that “opening doors and all sorts of bottles isn’t necessarily easy anymore,” but the outcome was worth it.
Getting back into the dating game is another story, though. “I can tell my story all day for advocacy and awareness reasons, but to tell a potential partner about what to expect is scary, no matter how confident you may be about your decision,” the travel blogger wrote. “Your partner should find you sexy because you are, not because you’re brave or because they feel an obligation to say certain words to your face.”
Murphy and her Bachelor Winter Games costar Dean Unglert recently called it quits after four months together. He later revealed on his iHeartRadio podcast Help! I Suck at Dating that he started going to therapy in the wake of their breakup.
