Angelina Jolie says she had a double mastectomy to prevent breast cancer

Angelina Jolie, one of the most famous names around the world, revealed today that she had a double mastectomy to prevent breast cancer.

In an oped for the New York Times, the Oscar winning actress wrote that her mother had died of cancer at 56 and that her children have asked if this could happen to her. While she always told them not to worry, she wrote that she did “carry a ‘faulty’ gene, BRCA1, which sharply increases my risk of developing breast cancer and ovarian cancer.”

Jolie said that her doctors told her that she had a 87 percent chance of getting breast cancer and a 50 percent chance of ovarian cancer. Since she had a higher chance of getting breast cancer, she decided to have a double mastectomy, finishing three months of medical procedures on April 27.

“During that time I have been able to keep this private and to carry on with my work,” the actress wrote. “But I am writing about it now because I hope that other women can benefit from my experience. Cancer is still a word that strikes fear into people’s hearts, producing a deep sense of powerlessness. But today it is possible to find out through a blood test whether you are highly susceptible to breast and ovarian cancer, and then take action.”

She said that she wrote the oped to let other women know that this was not an easy decision but one she is happy she made. It has reduced her risk of getting breast cancer to 5 percent. “I can tell my children that they don’t need to fear they will lose me to breast cancer,” she wrote.

To complete the surgery, Jolie did have reconstruction of the breasts. “There have been many advances in this procedure in the last few years, and the results can be beautiful,” she noted.

She added that her fiancé, actor Brad Pitt, was by her side. “So to anyone who has a wife or girlfriend going through this, know that you are a very important part of the transition. Brad was at the Pink Lotus Breast Center, where I was treated, for every minute of the surgeries. We managed to find moments to laugh together. We knew this was the right thing to do for our family and that it would bring us closer. And it has.”

Jolie wrote that she hopes that by sharing her story, other women will realize the importance of getting gene tested. “I choose not to keep my story private because there are many women who do not know that they might be living under the shadow of cancer.”

“Life comes with many challenges,” she concluded her piece. “The ones that should not scare us are the ones we can take on and take control of.”

So far, the response to Jolie’s piece has been positive. Her name is trending on Twitter.

Jolie is working on Disney’s Maleficent.

image: image.net

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