Carolyn Robertson
posted in Celebrities
Two years after undergoing a preventative double mastectomy to lower her risk of cancer, actress Angelina Jolie recently went a step further, having her ovaries and fallopian tubes removed.
The mom-of-six, who lost her own mother and grandmother to cancer, opens up about the latest surgery in an op-ed piece in today's New York Times , writing, "I had been planning this for some time. It is a less complex surgery than the mastectomy, but its effects are more severe. It puts a woman into forced menopause. So I was readying myself physically and emotionally..."
While Angelina thought she had plenty of time to mull over the surgery, fate forced her hand. She reveals that two weeks ago she received a call from her doctor informing her that a recent blood-test showed concerning results, "a number of inflammatory markers that are elevated, and taken together they could be a sign of early cancer.”
She talks in stark and honest terms about how it felt to hear those words.
"I went through what I imagine thousands of other women have felt. I told myself to stay calm, to be strong, and that I had no reason to think I wouldn’t live to see my children grow up and to meet my grandchildren.
I called my husband [Brad Pitt] in France, who was on a plane within hours. The beautiful thing about such moments in life is that there is so much clarity. You know what you live for and what matters. It is polarizing, and it is peaceful.
That same day I went to see the surgeon, who had treated my mother. I last saw her the day my mother passed away, and she teared up when she saw me: 'You look just like her.' I broke down."
Other stars whose lives have been touched by cancer...
Angelina underwent ultrasounds and exams, then spent five long days awaiting the results. When they came in, they were thankfully negative. Still, considering her family history - her mother Marcheline Bertrand was just 56 years old when she died of ovarian cancer - she decided to proceed with the surgery to remove her ovaries and fallopian tubes the next week.
"I will not be able to have any more children, and I expect some physical changes," Angelina, 39, writes, but adds that she has no regrets about the decision she made.
"I feel feminine, and grounded in the choices I am making for myself and my family," she reveals. "I know my children will never have to say, "'Mom died of ovarian cancer.'"
I admire Angelina Jolie for once again speaking so openly, so honestly about such an intensely personal decision. In doing so she helps break down any taboos, and helps other women access the information they need to make choices about their own health.
As mothers, the relationship we have with our bodies - the way they look and what they are capable of doing - feels so vital to who we are. That's why I think it's quite profound for Angelina, who walks that strange line between devoted mother and sex symbol with such ease, to say that she's still feminine, she's still strong, she's still confident, she's still loved.
Kudos to her for sharing her own experience and knowledge with others.
What do you think of Angelina's surgery revelation?
Brad, Angelina and their kids Maddox, Zahara, Pax, Shiloh, Knox and Vivienne...
Photo: PR Photos
No comments:
Post a Comment