11 Cousins Remove Stomachs to Save Their Lives

June 20, 2006 — -- Eleven members of the Bradfield family made a decision most people could not fathom: They had their stomachs removed to save their lives.

The Bradfield cousins carry the CDH-1 gene, a rare mutation that causes stomach cancer. The gene gave them a 70 percent chance of developing the deadly gastric cancer. So they had their stomachs removed, and this has forced them to change the way they live.

"You learn to eat differently -- slower. Eat a lot less in the beginning, and as time passes by you can eat more and more," said Mark Allen, a member of the family who had the operation called a gastrectomy.

The Bradfield family has lost many loved ones to stomach cancer. Grandmother Golda Bradfield, the matriarch of the family, died in 1960 before there was any treatment for the genetic disease. Seven out of eight of the Bradfield children inherited the gene. One by one, the Bradfields lost their fathers, mothers, aunts and uncles to stomach cancer.

In 2003, just days before Golda Bradfield's grandson, David Allen, died from stomach cancer, he sent his blood sample to researchers in British Columbia, who confirmed he had the CDH-1 gene. He then told family members, hoping that the information would save the remaining generation of Bradfield cousins.

"You can't have any regrets," said Tiss Lane, a cousin who tested negative for the gene. "You don't have a choice. Your choice is to have the surgery or die."

Eleven cousins had their stomachs removed in exchange for a small pouch. They eat small meals several times a day. They chew longer and avoid certain foods like salads, which are tough for the small intestine to digest.

Although they have had to make some inconvenient changes, they have received some unexpected health perks.

"This is a picture of Mark and me the day before our surgery," said Mike Slabaugh, a cousin. "I'm 70 pounds heavier here. Mark's 35 pounds heavier here."

The cousins who underwent the gastrectomy say that the sacrifice was worth it and that they can live with their new lifestyle.

"We get to celebrate two birthdays -- the day we were born and the day we were reborn," Kitty Elliot said.