I woke up this morning to the news that Angelina Jolie underwent a double mastectomy after the BRCA blood test showed she was genetically susceptible to cancer.
She said “The truth is I carry a ‘faulty’ gene, BRCA1, which sharply increases my risk of developing breast cancer and ovarian cancer,” she writes. “Once I knew that this was my reality, I decided to be proactive and to minimize the risk as much I could. I made a decision to have a preventive double mastectomy.”
The 37-year-old mother of six says her decision was triggered in part by the death of her mother, Marcheline Bertrand, who passed away from cancer at the age of 56.
I recently found out my cousin will undergo the test- her mother having died of Breast Cancer at age 70. As well, my mother was diagnosed at age 40 with Breast Cancer.
I’ve previoulsy written in my blog that my fear of taking the test- and being positive- is that my 21 year old daughter will be faced with a life changing decision. But as Angeline explains- her objective was to decrease her risk and do what she can to prolong her life.
Jolie says her chance of developing breast cancer has dropped “from 87 percent to under 5 percent” — encourages any woman who is considering taking such a major step in safeguarding their health to discuss their risk factors with doctors as well as their options.
“On a personal note, I do not feel any less of a woman,” she says. “I feel empowered that I made a strong choice that in no way diminishes my femininity.”
“Life comes with many challenges,” she concludes. “The ones that should not scare us are the ones we can take on and take control of.”
What do you think?
