Angelina Jolie Reveals Her Brave Decision to Undergo a Preventive Double Mastectomy

Angelina Jolie took a brave step in bringing awareness to the fight against cancer with a revealing and very personal op-ed piece in today’s New York Times titled “My Medical Choice.” The article chronicles her decision to undergo a preventive double mastectomy after genetic tests showed that she carries the BRCA1 gene, which increases her risk of developing breast cancer by 87 percent and ovarian cancer by 50 percent. “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,” Jolie writes in her piece. “My chances of developing breast cancer have dropped form 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.” The difficult three-month process began on February 2 and finished on April 27, and she cites that her partner Brad Pitt helped her throughout her journey. “I am fortunate to have a partner, Brad Pitt, who is so loving and supportive,” she says. “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.” To read the full article, visit nytimes.com.

Plus, see more breast cancer survivors that are giving back.

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