Angelina Jolie, Hollywood actress and social activist, recently underwent a double mastectomy to lessen her risk of getting breast cancer. In an op-ed to the New York Times, the actress shares the story of how her mother dealt with cancer and died from after a ten-year battle.
Angelina also discusses the gene BRCA1, which increases one’s risk of getting cancer in reproductive organs, like the breasts or the ovaries. According to Angelina’s op ed, doctors told her that she has nearly a 90 percent risk of getting breast cancer and a 50 percent chance of getting ovarian cancer.
Well, she wasn’t going down without a fight, so Angelina has taken the proactive approach against breast cancer by removing her breasts. “Once I knew that this was my reality, I decided to be proactive and to minimize my risk as much as I could,” she wrote in the op-ed piece. “I made a decision to have a preventative double mastectomy.”
Angelina has chosen to come forward with her story because she wants other women to know that there is hope. A blood test made her aware of her high risk of breast cancer, and technology is quickly advancing to prevent cancer before it even starts. Angelina Jolie ended her op-ed with these words: “Life comes with many challenges. The ones that should not scare us are the ones we can take on and take control of.”