Most people don’t realize you can live quite comfortably without a stomach. But I found that out first-hand in 2020, after learning I carry a genetic mutation called CDH1.  

CHD1 dramatically increases your risk of developing both stomach cancer and lobular carcinoma, a type of breast cancer. The risk is so high for stomach cancer that doctors often recommend a total gastrectomy — or the complete surgical removal of your stomach — as a preventive measure. Once the stomach tissue is biopsied, pathologists often find that cancer cells are already present.