Twin Sisters Honor Mom’s Last Wish by Getting Preventive Double Mastectomies: ‘I Know She’s Smiling Down’ (Exclusive)

The day before their mother died of breast cancer, twin sisters Cailyn and Carissa Wulf promised her they would both get double mastectomies.

Their mother, 45-year-old Heather Asche Wulf of Clear Lake, Iowa, was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2019.  She tested positive for the breast cancer gene BRCA 1. When her daughters got tested, they were also positive. She urged them to take action.

“My mom was like, ‘Don’t wait,’” Cailyn, 25 remembers. “She was like, ‘Please get this done.’”

Hether’s cancer spread to her lymph nodes, brain and lungs. She died in July 2022 at age 48.

“It was really hard because she was our best friend,” Cailyn says. “If we had anything to talk about or ask about or get advice on, we’d always go to our mom.”

Honoring her wishes and her last piece of advice, the twin sisters made the difficult decision to go through the major surgery and reconstruction together.

“She wanted us to get it done so badly, because she didn’t want us to go through what she went through,” Carissa says.

The twins supported and encouraged each other every step of the way.

“We were super scared,” Carissa says. “If I didn’t have someone there going through the same thing it would have been a lot harder.”

The sisters live more than 1,000 miles apart. Carissa lives in Salt Lake City, Utah, and Cailyn lives in Des Moines, Iowa. They both work as bartenders. Cailyn is also studying business using an online program through Iowa State. She hopes to work in sales.

The sisters received treatment at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., where their mother was treated.

On February 5, 2024, Carissa had a nipple-sparing double mastectomy. Two days later on February 7, 2024, Cailyn had hers. They had just turned 25.

“Honestly, I was crying the night before,” Cailyn says. “But I just knew that it was for the better.”

People who carry BRCA 1 have a more than 60% lifetime risk of developing breast cancer, says the surgical oncologist who performed the twins’ mastectomies, Dr. Mara Pilton, assistant professor of breast and melanoma surgical oncology at the Mayo Clinic. Having the preventative surgery, the twin sisters reduced their risk of getting breast cancer by 90-95%, Pilton says.

“I think Cailyn and Carissa, ultimately made a fantastic decision and one that was right for them, but it’s never an easy decision to make,” says Piltin. “It felt quite brave.”

For six to eight weeks after the surgery, the sisters couldn’t do much. “We just had to basically lay in bed. We couldn’t lift anything,” Carissa says. She spent about two months recovering at her sister’s home in Des Moines because it was only three hours from the hospital.

Their mother’s best friends went to doctor’s appointments with them and helped care for the sisters.

“We were literally going through all of this together,” Cailyn says. “We were very there for each other.”

Six months after their mastectomies, they had their reconstructive surgeries at the Mayo Clinic on the same day, just hours apart, on August 23, 2024.

Once again, Heather’s friends came to her daughters’ aid.

“They knew how my mom would feel about us getting this done, so they were super supportive,” Cailyn says. “It actually helped us a lot.”

Now Carissa and Cailyn are comforted knowing they honored their mom’s last wish and took her advice.

 “I know that she’s smiling down, she’s happy that we got it done,” Carissa says.

Since the BRCA1 gene carries a risk of ovarian cancer, they plan to have their ovaries removed after they are done having children.

While they have significantly reduced their risk of breast cancer, their surgeon says, they still keep up with regular screenings. Carissa recently had a scare when she found a lump.

“It was super, super tiny, but I had to get it ultrasounded because I was super nervous about it,” she says. But doctors assured her that it was only scar tissue.

The twins urge other young women with breast cancer in their family to be tested for the BRCA genes.

“Don’t be afraid,” Carissa says. “I feel like some young people may be super scared — like we were.”

She adds, “That test could save your life.”