Former Miss USA contestant made a life-changing decision at 26 after cancer devastated family

At age 26, Allyn Rose made a life-changing decision after cancer had devastated her family.

The model, who competed in both the Miss America and Miss USA pageants, underwent a preventive double mastectomy, a decision she said even sparked "hate mail" from critics. Today, the mother of two is the founder of The Previvor, a nonprofit organization that educates women about breast cancer risk and prevention options. Oct. 31 marks the last day of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

"I know a lot of people think that's a pretty radical choice for someone who hadn't been diagnosed with breast cancer yet," Rose, now 38, told Fox News Digital. "But I lost my mom when I was 16. And by the time I was 16, I had lost my grandmother, my great aunt, almost every woman in my family to this disease. And I said that legacy ends with me."

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"I don't want that to be my story," she said. "I don't want to have to tell my 16-year-old daughter someday that she's going to have to spend the rest of her life without her mom. This sad family legacy was not going to take my life if I had anything to do with it."

Rose's mother, Judy Rose, was first diagnosed with breast cancer at 27 and had her right breast removed. The cancer later developed in her remaining breast, reaching stage 3, according to People magazine. Judy died at 51.

Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women in the U.S. after skin cancers, accounting for about 1 in 3 new cancer cases diagnosed in women each year, according to the American Cancer Society. About 1 in 8 U.S. women will develop breast cancer during their lives.

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The organization estimates that 321,910 new cases of invasive breast cancer will be diagnosed among U.S. women in 2026 and that about 42,140 women will die from the disease.

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Rose was considered at because of her extensive family history. In 2012, she was crowned Miss District of Columbia, earning the opportunity to represent the district at the 2013 Miss America pageant. That same year, at 24, Rose announced her decision to undergo a preventive double mastectomy. She had the surgery two years later, at 26.

For women with a strong family history of breast cancer, a bilateral risk-reducing mastectomy can lower the risk of developing the disease by up to 90%, according to the National Cancer Institute. The procedure does not eliminate the risk entirely because it is impossible to remove all breast tissue that could become cancerous.

"So much of my life and my identity was wrapped up in the way that I looked and how I presented myself to the world," Rose said. "I paid my bills and my rent with the way that I looked. I didn't think [my looks] were 100% of my identity, but I would be lying if I didn't consider the repercussions of having a surge