Angelia Jolie says doctors told her she had an 87-percent chance of developing breast cancer.
(Los Angeles, CA) -- Actress Angelina Jolie is revealing she has undergone a preventive double mastectomy. In a "New York Times" op-ed piece, the Oscar winner writes she decided to have the surgery after finding out she is a carrier of the BRCA1 cancer gene. Jolie says doctors told her she had an 87-percent chance of developing breast cancer. Her mother battled cancer for nearly ten years and died at the age of 56.
After three months of medical procedures this year, Jolie says her chances of getting breast cancer are now less than five percent. She credits her partner, actor Brad Pitt, for his support and for being with her during her surgeries. Jolie says they both knew it was the right thing to do for their family. Jolie and Pitt have six children.
From her editorial article in the New York Times:
"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.
We often speak of “Mommy’s mommy,” and I find myself trying to explain the illness that took
her away from us. They have asked if the same could happen to me. I have always told them
not to worry, but the truth is I carry a “faulty” gene, BRCA1, which sharply increases my risk of
developing breast cancer and ovarian cancer."
Click here to read the entire article on nytimes.com. What do you think about her decision? Leave your comments below.
