Angelina Jolie Plans Further Surgery, Stands by Double Mastectomy
Actress says surgery was the right decision for her family.
Angelina Jolie, star of Disney movie "Maleficent," stands by her decision and says that she "made the right choice" for herself and her family by having a double mastectomy.
The 38-year old actress underwent the preventative procedure in February 2013. Jolie had both breasts removed after being tested and finding out that she carries the BRCA1 gene which means that she had an 87 percent chance of getting breast cancer and a 50% chance of developing ovarian cancer. That's a very high risk for getting the dreaded disease
Jolie said that she did not know what kind of public reaction her move was going to get but she wanted to speak out and be an example to other women and help them be aware that they could protect themselves.
Jolie took the gene test because her mother, Marcheline Bertrand, died of ovarian cancer in 2007 and the experience has prompted her to take action.
"I felt that I'd learnt something about my health, and I felt I'd made the right choice for my family and I simply wanted other women to know that there was that choice," said Jolie.
Jolie has six children with partner Brad Pitt: Maddox, 12, Pax, 10, Zahara, 9, Shiloh, 7 and twins Knox and Vivienne, 5.
Public support has poured out from all over the world as soon as the news broke out early in 2013. Jolie states that she has been overwhelmed by the support.
"It has been lovely and very moving; I've had so much support and kindness ... I'll get advice from all the wonderful people I've been talking to, to get through the next stage I was very, very moved by all the support and kindness from so many people," added the actress.
"Wherever I go, usually I run into women and we talk about health issues, women's issues, breast cancer, ovarian cancer. I've talked to men about their daughters' and wives' health. It makes me feel closer to other people who deal with the same things and have either lost their parents or are considering surgeries or wondering about their children."
The journey isn't over for Angelina as she also faces a high risk of developing ovarian cancer. She is also believed to be planning to get her ovaries removed in the future to reduce the risk.
