Angelina Jolie has gone public with her choice to
undergo a preventative double mastectomy.
In Tuesday's New York Times Op-Ed section, Jolie revealed the difficult medical
decision she made after discovering she carried the BRCA1 gene which
leads to an increased risk in breast and ovarian cancer.
Jolie's mother, Marcheline Bertrand, passed away at the
young age of 56 after battling cancer for over a decade. As Jolie said in her
article, We often speak of “Mommy’s mommy,” and I find myself trying to
explain the illness that took her away from us. They have asked if the same
could happen to me."
Jolie's doctors estimated her breast cancer risk at 87% and
ovarian cancer risk at 50%. The double mastectomy has now reduced her risk to
5%. She privately began the surgeries in early February and has just finished
in late April. She credits longtime partner Brad Pitt as always being by her side and helping
find moments to laugh throughout the difficult process.
Jolie underwent her surgeries at the
Pink Lotus Breast Center. Her choice to open up about the double mastectomy was
to help shed a light on cancer prevention for other women around the world.
"On a personal note, I do not feel any less of a woman.
I feel empowered that I made a strong choice that in no way diminishes my femininity."
That sounds like the Angelina we know and love!
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