By Jay Morgan | YYC24
At 19, Mykah Obrigewitch was facing a decision most people her age have never had to consider.
A genetic test had confirmed she carried a BRCA1 mutation, significantly increasing her lifetime risk of developing breast and ovarian cancers. With breast cancer already affecting several members of her family, the possibility was something she had grown up understanding.
What she hadn't anticipated was that her experience would become the subject of a documentary, much less one that would find its way onto the big screen.
Now 20, the Alberta filmmaker has turned that personal journey into Boob Jobs Save Lives, a documentary-comedy project exploring preventive surgery, body image, femininity and the importance of finding humour through difficult experiences.
Speaking with YYC24 on October 19, Obrigewitch described how an unexpected opportunity to tell her story grew into a series of short films, a selection at the Calgary International Film Festival and a feature-length anthology.
A family history that changed everything
For Obrigewitch, breast cancer was never an unfamiliar subject.
Her mother and aunt were both diagnosed with triple-negative breast cancer in their early thirties and subsequently tested positive for a BRCA1 gene mutation.
Her mother made sure her four daughters understood their family history, including the possibility of inheriting the mutation themselves.
According to a December 2025 profile published by the Canadian Breast Cancer Network, two of Obrigewitch's three sisters also tested positive and underwent preventive double mastectomies and reconstruction.
When Obrigewitch received her own positive result at 19, she had already spent considerable time thinking about what she would do.
But obtaining that result was not straightforward.
The Canadian Breast Cancer Network documented her difficulties navigating genetic testing referrals, including an improperly completed bloodwork requisition and a sample that remained in a laboratory for nearly a year.
She eventually received the necessary referral, underwent repeat bloodwork and learned four months later that she carried the mutation.
In her earlier account published by the organization, Obrigewitch said she felt she had to advocate for herself throughout the process.
The positive result left her weighing continued medical surveillance against preventive surgery.
During her interview with YYC24, she explained that the prospect of repeated screenings and the uncertainty of potentially developing cancer created anxiety about her future.
She wanted to travel, pursue her filmmaking ambitions and experience adulthood without feeling that her life was constantly revolving around medical appointments.
Ultimately, she chose to undergo a preventive double mastectomy and breast reconstruction. An October 12 Calgary Guardian profile also reports that she underwent the procedures at age 20.
Carrying a BRCA1 mutation is not the same as having cancer, nor does it guarantee that cancer will develop. According to the Canadian Cancer Society, preventive mastectomy can reduce breast cancer risk by approximately 90 per cent in people at high risk, although it does not eliminate the risk entirely.
For Obrigewitch, the decision came down to her personal circumstances and the future she wanted for herself.
From rural Alberta to Calgary's film industry
Long before her medical journey became the subject of a documentary, Obrigewitch had ambitions of becoming a filmmaker.
Growing up in southeastern Alberta, she attended a rural school where opportunities to explore filmmaking were limited.
She recalled that there was little local interest in the industry when she was younger, making it difficult to gain practical experience.
Still, she sought out opportunities wherever she could find them.
One of her earliest breaks came through Shaw Spotlight, a local television production initiative. She recalled being offered an internship after she was the only person to show up for the opportunity.
The following fall, she began studying film and video production at the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT) in Calgary.
The experience was initially intimidating, but she credited the program with helping her build connections and gain practical experience alongside other aspiring filmmakers.
At that point, however, making a documentary about her own medical decisions was not part of her plans.
That changed in 2025, when she was approached about sharing her experience through film.
The resulting short film, Boob Jobs Save Lives, was released on YouTube.
The response surprised her.
Viewers wanted to know more about her experience, the decisions involved in preventive surgery and the aspects of the process that had not been explored in the original film.
Their questions helped inspire a sequel.
Making a film with $700 and a volunteer crew
Producing Boob Jobs Save Lives Part 2 presented a different set of challenges.
Obrigewitch told YYC24 she had approximately $700 to work with and assembled a crew of around 25 people, many of whom volunteered their time.
The team completed filming in roughly a week, with editing continuing over the following months.
Limited funding made obtaining equipment and achieving the production quality she wanted particularly challenging.
But Obrigewitch credited the people around her with keeping the project moving.
She described a collaborative environment where problems were met with creative solutions, and where the crew's willingness to contribute helped compensate for the lack of financial resources.
The finished eight-minute short was co-produced by Obrigewitch and Sandra Hurd, who also served as cinematographer and co-editor, according to the Calgary International Film Festival's official credits.
For Obrigewitch, the experience reinforced how much independent filmmaking depends on the people willing to support a project.
Finding humour in the hardest moments
Despite its subject matter, Boob Jobs Save Lives deliberately embraces comedy.
For Obrigewitch, humour is not intended to diminish the seriousness of breast cancer or the physical and emotional effects of surgery.
Instead, it provides another way to approach experiences that can be difficult to discuss openly.
During her interview, she reflected on how people sometimes look back on painful or uncomfortable moments and find themselves able to laugh about what happened.
That idea became central to the expanded documentary.
The feature-length anthology brings together her earlier short films with interviews featuring five breast cancer survivors, each offering perspectives on their experiences, recovery and relationship with their bodies.
Obrigewitch said she specifically wanted participants to recall moments when humour helped them through difficult circumstances.
The documentary also addresses subjects that can be deeply personal, including changes in body image and how women navigate their sense of femininity following surgery.
She hopes those conversations will help others understand that medical procedures and physical changes do not make someone less of a person or less feminine.
Her message also extends to allowing people to experience complicated emotions without feeling they must hide them.
Above all, she wants audiences to recognize that they are not alone.
From small audiences to the Calgary International Film Festival
The project has also marked significant milestones in Obrigewitch's development as a filmmaker.
She recalled one of her earliest festival screenings drawing an audience of approximately 10 people.
Rather than feeling disappointed, she was excited that people had come to see her work.
That experience stood in contrast to September 30, when Boob Jobs Save Lives Part 2 screened at Calgary's historic GRAND theatre as part of the Calgary International Film Festival's Alberta Spirit Shorts Night 2.
The program showcased short films made in Alberta, placing Obrigewitch's work alongside other emerging and established filmmakers.
She described the experience of watching her film with a much larger audience as both exciting and intimidating.
With so little funding behind her project, she initially felt conscious of the differences between her production and others being presented.
But the opportunity to meet fellow filmmakers and experience the support of festival audiences proved reassuring.
She came away with a stronger appreciation for a filmmaking community where resources may differ considerably, but the shared interest in storytelling brings people together.
Bringing the story home
Following the Calgary festival screening, Obrigewitch expanded the project into a feature-length anthology, combining the earlier films with interviews from five breast cancer survivors.
The documentary was scheduled for a special screening at Medicine Hat's historic Monarch Theatre on October 20, during Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
According to the theatre's official event listing, admission proceeds were designated for the Canadian Breast Cancer Network.
The setting carried particular significance for Obrigewitch.
The Monarch Theatre, built in 1911 and described by the venue as Canada's oldest operating purpose-built movie theatre, was part of her childhood in Medicine Hat.
During her conversation with YYC24 ahead of the event, she expressed how meaningful it was to have the opportunity to present her work in the same theatre she had grown up knowing.
The hometown screening was also intended as a chance to share the documentary with family, friends and members of the community who had supported her along the way.
Beyond the film's message about breast cancer risk and recovery, Obrigewitch hopes audiences leave with a greater willingness to speak openly about difficult experiences, including their effects on identity, confidence and relationships.
Looking ahead
While Boob Jobs Save Lives has become an important part of her early filmmaking career, Obrigewitch is already thinking about what comes next.
She plans to travel to Australia, hoping that new experiences will inspire future scripts and expand her perspective as a storyteller.
During her interview, she reflected on the relationship between life experience and writing, explaining that it can be difficult to create meaningful stories about things a writer has never encountered.
It's a perspective shaped by her own experience.
What began as a deeply personal medical decision has become a documentary project, bringing together survivors, volunteer filmmakers and audiences across Alberta.
And for a young filmmaker who once struggled to find opportunities to explore her craft, it has opened the door to telling stories she never expected to tell.
Reporting: Jay Morgan, YYC24. Original telephone interview conducted October 19, 2026. Additional information: Canadian Breast Cancer Network, Calgary International Film Festival, Canadian Cancer Society and Monarch Theatre.