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.
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.
- Angelina Jolie is an actress and director.
Read this article on the New York Times
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