Angelina Jolie’s Shocking Admission

Angelina Jolie revealed some pretty shocking news late last night in a New York Times op-ed. The 37-year-old actress admitted to having a preventive double mastectomy in early February. The brave decision came after finding out that she carries a gene that greatly increases her risk of ovarian cancer and breast cancer. Tests showed that she had an incredibly high 87% chance of developing breast cancer at some point in her life. She found out the shocking news after results from a genetic test came back that showed her carrying the BRCA1 gene.

Angelina decided it was best to not wait around and do nothing, especially after seeing her mom die from the horrible disease. She said she wanted to be proactive for her kids and her husband, Brad Pitt.  The award-winning actress wrote in the article,

“My mother fought cancer for almost a decade and died at 56. She held out long enough to meet the first of her grandchildren and to hold them in her arms. But my other children will never have the chance to know her and experience how loving and gracious she was.”

Jolie says in the article that once she found out about her high risk of developing breast cancer, she knew what she had to do,

“Once I knew that this was my reality, I decided to be proactive and to minimize the risk as much as I could. I made a decision to have a preventive double mastectomy. I started with the breasts, as my risk of breast cancer is higher than my risk of ovarian cancer, and the surgery is more complex. On April 27, I finished the three months of medical procedures that the mastectomies involved. During that time I have been able to keep this private and carry on with my work.”

But Jolie decided it would be best to open up about her decision now, in hopes to inspire and educate other women who might be going through the same thing.  Angelina said in her lengthy post,

“I wanted to write this to tell other women that the decision to have a double mastectomy was not easy. But it is one I am very happy that I made. My chances of developing breast cancer have dropped from 87 percent to under 5 percent. I can tell my children that they don’t need to fear they will lose me to breast cancer.”

She provides great detail in the post, even explaining the procedures she had one by one. At one point, when doctors were removing tissue, Jolie said that it felt “like a scene out of a science-fiction film.” She also wants to make it clear that she doesn’t feel like any less of a woman. “I feel empowered that I made a strong choice that in no way diminishes my femininity.”

What a brave move on her part! I’m glad she decided to beat cancer before it had a chance to beat her.