In a brave display of heartfelt full-disclosure, Angelina Jolie has crafted an op-ed piece for the New York Times explaining her double mastectomy.
Jolie possesses a “faulty” hereditary gene called BRCA1, augmenting her risk of developing both breast cancer and ovarian cancer, 87% and 50% respectively, in her case.
The mother of six children completed three months worth of surgeries on April 27, and in spite of the inherently hyper-sensitive, private nature of her experiences, says this:
“…I am writing about it now because I hope that other women can benefit from my experience. Cancer is still a word that strikes fear into people’s hearts, producing a deep sense of powerlessness. But today it is possible to find out through a blood test whether you are highly susceptible to breast and ovarian cancer, and then take action”.
In that three month period, her surgeries involved painful operations on her nipples, the removal of breast tissue and finally, the reconstruction of her breasts via implants. From an 87% risk, hers fell to under 5%. You can read the whole insane thing here.
Title image by Leon Neal via Getty
