Angelina Jolie Reveals Having Preventative Double Mastectomy

Award-winning actress and mother of six Angelina Jolie decided to minimize her risk for breast cancer by undergoing a preventative double mastectomy. Jolie was privy to information that she has the BRCA1 gene which increases developing both ovarian and breast cancer. On average, women carrying the BRCA1 gene have a 65% risk of getting breast cancer. The actress revealed in an article at the New York Times that when doctors gave her an estimate of her risks for developing cancer, she decided to be proactive about it. According to her doctors, Jolie had 87% risk of developing breast cancer and 50% risk of ovarian cancer.

Three major surgeries

Jolie, who is now 37 years old, revealed that she underwent a total of three surgical procedures at the Pink Lotus Breast Center between February 2 and April 27, 2013. The major surgery that was done two weeks later involved removal of the breast tissue. Fillers were also put in place. And then nine weeks afterwards, Jolie had breast implants. Jolie wrote in the New York Times article that the results could be very beautiful. She decided to write the article in order to inform and empower women. The decision was not easy for her but she says that she is very happy that she made it.

From 87% to below 5%

Jolie’s mother, Marcheline Bertrand died in 2007 at the age of 56 from breast cancer. Jolie said that her mother suffered for nearly a decade from the cancer before she passed away. In her hopes of assuring her children that they would not lose her to breast cancer she had taken the decision to undergo the series of complex surgical procedures. Now her risk of developing breast cancer had dropped to under 5%. Jolie has three biological children (Knox, Vivienne, and Shiloh) and three adopted children (Maddox, Zahara and Pax).

Jolie wrote that she feels empowered for making a “strong choice that in no way diminishes my femininity.” Jolie underwent the procedures with the full support of her partner and father of her children, Hollywood actor Brad Pitt. She wants to encourage women who have a family history of breast or ovarian cancer in order to learn more about their risks so that they can make informed decisions for themselves and their families. Jolie also acknowledged that many women still do not have access to gene testing due to its high cost.

Humanitarian work

Jolie is currently the Special Envoy for Antonio Guterres, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. Jolie has visited conflict areas such as Afghanistan, Darfur, Iraq and Libya in order to raise awareness on sexual violence. She also served as Goodwill Ambassador for the UN for a decade. She has been granted honorary citizenship in Sarajevo for her work in the movie, “In the Land of Blood and Honey.”

While undergoing the series of preventative mastectomy procedures, Jolie continued performing her humanitarian work. She was part of the team that accompanied the Foreign Secretary of the United Kingdom, William Hague when he visited the Congo. Jolie also attended the recent G8 foreign ministers summit in London. And she was present in the launching of a charity fund organized by Malala Yousafzai, the Pakistani teenager who survived an assassination attempt by the Taliban and is now campaigning for girls’ education.

Photo Credit: Angelina Jolie