I just read where a famous Hollywood actress had a double mastectomy because she tested positive for the gene that predisposes her to breast and ovarian cancer. I don't know much about cancer except that it is a very dangerous disese. I understands that her mother died from the disease, and she fears the same fate.

I too read that story. And given that she had an 87% chance of contracting breast cancer or ovarian cancer I can't help but agree with her choice. With those kind of odds its better to be safe than sorry. Prevention can be simpler than trying to battle something of that magnitude with Chemo or other treatments. It may seem extreme to some, but it all comes down to personal choice.

I'm sure that what was reported is not the full story. When you think of the side effects of treatment in light of her career, it makes a great deal of sense. Not only that but she has several children to consider as well.

Treatments are very hard on a close family, especially a family with small children. It's hard to remember that they had radiation treatment within the last 24 hours so you aren't supposed to touch your parent. You are supposed to use a separate bathroom due to risks of contamination. There are a lot of things that have to happen to keep your family that is living with you safe.

That is without going into the aches, pains, sickness, weakness and irritability that comes from the treatments as well.
The media is probably not telling that she most likely has precancerous growths or something along those lines.

For the average person, this would most likely be extreme. I can understand why you would feel that it's weird. With the limited information that we have been given, it is weird.

Personally, I think that she is a role model for a lot of women and girls out there. She is having them remove a 'major' part of the female body. This is counterpoint to a lot of the popular views of what a beautiful woman has.

When my mom had cancer, she was in the hospital with a woman that had a benign (non cancerous, harmless growth) on her throat that was half the size of a basketball. The woman didn't want them to remove it because she was afraid of the scar and what people would think. My mom pointed out the the scar would be smaller and she wouldn't have to drink her meals through a straw afterwards. The woman finally agreed to the surgery.
So many people put too much importance on appearance, and not enough on health.

I think that this actress' choice to take such an obvious step for health over the concern of the 'perfect appearance' is going to have a lot of people rethinking what is really important. Hopefully our young impressionable teenagers take to heart what is really motivating her to do this instead of thinking that she's simply over reacting or that she's crazy. I hope that they can see that you are still a woman even if you don't have fat cells and milk glands piled up on your ribcage to prove it to the world at a glance. She is still beautiful regardless.

The real question would be: Would we have noticed if the tabloids and the media hadn't told us about it? Probably not.

Not trying to be offensive or make anyone uncomfortable, and I'm sorry if you feel either of those from something or all of what I said. Those are just my thoughts for what they are worth.
~Starfyre

Oh, I read that in Yahoo. Isn't that Angelina Jolie? She said she went through the surgery because she don't want her children to be afraid of losing her someday (in case, she developed the cancer). I think she's very brave to do so.

I am not offended by any comments, when I read the tabloid headlines I was not yet aware of the high percentage of her contracting the disease. I also believe that she is a great role model not only for women but for everyone in general. She is very beautiful and the profession she chose requires her to be so. I know she did not mutilate her body without thinking about her children, and wanting to live to see them grow up.

Personally I think she is very brave and I applaud her for her courage, As I said before I wasn't judging her. I was curious, and wanted some feedback on the issue. I wish her all the best and a long, happy, and prosperous life.

She is one tough cookie and that is why I so admire her! No matter what others might say otherwise, I think she is a very strong individual deserving respect for her accomplishments and meeting difficulties head on.

Just so that everyone is aware, I meant average as in those of us, (me included) that are not famous or rich or both.

Sorry if that was confusing at all, I was kinda really super stupid tired when I wrote that last night. lol. I just reread it and I confused myself so I wanted to clarify.

Is it bad that I wrote like a book?

suicideblonde:

Angelina Jolie on why she had a double mastectomy, and how it can save lives

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.

My doctors estimated that I had an 87 percent risk of breast cancer and a 50 percent risk of ovarian cancer, although the risk is different in the case of each woman.

Only a fraction of breast cancers result from an inherited gene mutation. Those with a defect in BRCA1 have a 65 percent risk of getting it, on average.

Once I knew that this was my reality, I decided to be proactive and to minimize the risk as much 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 to carry on with my work.

But 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.

My own process began on Feb. 2 with a procedure known as a “nipple delay,” which rules out disease in the breast ducts behind the nipple and draws extra blood flow to the area. This causes some pain and a lot of bruising, but it increases the chance of saving the nipple.

Two weeks later I had the major surgery, where the breast tissue is removed and temporary fillers are put in place. The operation can take eight hours. You wake up with drain tubes and expanders in your breasts. It does feel like a scene out of a science-fiction film. But days after surgery you can be back to a normal life.

Nine weeks later, the final surgery is completed with the reconstruction of the breasts with an implant. There have been many advances in this procedure in the last few years, and the results can be beautiful.

I wanted to write this to tell other women that the decision to have a 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.

It is reassuring that they see nothing that makes them uncomfortable. They can see my small scars and that’s it. Everything else is just Mommy, the same as she always was. And they know that I love them and will do anything to be with them as long as I can. On a personal note, I do not feel any less of a woman. I feel empowered that I made a strong choice that in no way diminishes my femininity.

I am fortunate to have a partner, Brad Pitt, who is so loving and supportive. So to anyone who has a wife or girlfriend going through this, know that you are a very important part of the transition. Brad was at the Pink Lotus Breast Center, where I was treated, for every minute of the surgeries. We managed to find moments to laugh together. We knew this was the right thing to do for our family and that it would bring us closer. And it has.

For any woman reading this, I hope it helps you to know you have options. I want to encourage every woman, especially if you have a family history of breast or ovarian cancer, to seek out the information and medical experts who can help you through this aspect of your life, and to make your own informed choices.

I acknowledge that there are many wonderful holistic doctors working on alternatives to surgery. My own regimen will be posted in due course on the Web site of the Pink Lotus Breast Center. I hope that this will be helpful to other women.

Breast cancer alone kills some 458,000 people each year, according to the World Health Organization, mainly in low- and middle-income countries. It has got to be a priority to ensure that more women can access gene testing and lifesaving preventive treatment, whatever their means and background, wherever they live. The cost of testing for BRCA1 and BRCA2, at more than $3,000 in the United States, remains an obstacle for many women.

I choose not to keep my story private because there are many women who do not know that they might be living under the shadow of cancer. It is my hope that they, too, will be able to get gene tested, and that if they have a high risk they, too, will know that they have strong options.

Life comes with many challenges. The ones that should not scare us are the ones we can take on and take control of.

A fortunate person is one whose family and community value them more, rather than less, as they grow in experience and wisdom and lose the perfection of youth.