Hollywood royalty, beautiful mother, humanitarian and praised filmmaker Angelina Jolie Pitt ones again showed the world that there are many ways to stand up to cancer.
On March 24th 2015 she published an open letter in New York Times sharing with millions of people her own story, a personal journey of battling the disease that she has a high risk of developing.
In her letter she takes the readers through the history of her decisions and the reasons behind it. “Two years ago I wrote about my choice to have a preventive double mastectomy. A simple blood test had revealed that I carried a mutation in the BRCA1 gene. It gave me an estimated 87 percent risk of breast cancer and a 50 percent risk of ovarian cancer. I lost my mother, grandmother and aunt to cancer.
I wanted other women at risk to know about the options. I promised to follow up with any information that could be useful, including about my next preventive surgery, the removal of my ovaries and fallopian tubes”.
In the other article, the journalists of New York Times interviewed the exerts that commented on Jolie-Pitt’s decision. “Prophylactic removal of ovaries and fallopian tubes is strongly recommended in women before age 40 in BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutation carriers,” said Dr. Susan Domchek, executive director of the University of Pennsylvania’s Basser Research Center, which specializes in BRCA mutations. “There is no effective screening for ovarian cancer and too many women with advanced stage ovarian cancer die of their disease.”
At looks like women with a high risk of developing breast and ovarian cancer still have many options on a table. Angelina states that in her letter: “A positive BRCA test does not mean a leap to surgery. I have spoken to many doctors, surgeons and naturopaths. There are other options. Some women take birth control pills or rely on alternative medicines combined with frequent checks. There is more than one way to deal with any health issue. The most important thing is to learn about the options and choose what is right for you personally. In my case, the Eastern and Western doctors I met agreed that surgery to remove my tubes and ovaries was the best option, because on top of the BRCA gene, three women in my family have died from cancer. My doctors indicated I should have preventive surgery about a decade before the earliest onset of cancer in my female relatives. My mother’s ovarian cancer was diagnosed when she was 49. I’m 39”.
There is no doubt that Angelina is empowering women through her health diary, demonstrating her courage, fears and emotional stress. She is such an inspiration! Through her work as a UN Ambassador, her career in Hollywood, her family life and various other creative and charity projects she is a living proof that there is always a way to impact someone’s life in a positive manner. Brave humanitarian stresses that women should take charge of their health. Angelina’s message for all: “It is not easy to make these decisions. But it is possible to take control and tackle head-on any health issue. You can seek advice, learn about the options and make choices that are right for you. Knowledge is power”.
