Angelina Jolie was always a deadly combination of talent, rebellion, and beauty. So, when Angelina confessed she’d undergone a double mastectomy, it stirred a lot of conversation: good and bad.
In May 2013, the Tomb Raider star revealed her preventative surgery in an op-ed in The New York Times piece titled, My Medical Choice. Angelina carried a genetic mutation, BRCA 1, which increased the likelihood of developing breast cancer to 87 per cent and ovarian cancer to 50 per cent.
Some saw her preventative surgery as brave, others felt she was being misleading regarding the difficulties of making such a choice. Despite the noise, the Hollywood actress made her motive clear.
“I wanted to write this to tell other women that the decision to have a mastectomy was not easy,” Jolie wrote at the time.
“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.”
Angelina got tested after watching her mother, Marcheline Bertrand battle ovarian cancer. The illness claimed her in 2007, aged 56.
The Maleficent actress is the mother of six children: Shiloh, Pax Thien, Knox, Vivienne, Maddox, and Zahara.
Angelina’s oldest children, Maddox and Zahara, are both adopted, along with fourth born Pax. Shiloh was Angelina’s first biological child with Brad Pitt, before their biological twins Vivienne and Knox were born in 2008.
This medical decision sparked a world-wide debate over breast cancer prevention. But her bravery led to the “Angelina Effect’, which saw a 20 per cent increase in BRCA gene testing and awareness in France, according to TIME France.
More than a decade since the procedure, Angelina’s mission to raise breast cancer awareness continues. But this time, she is publicly showing her mastectomy scars.
The Oscar winner, 50, reveals to TIME France why, after all these years, she is showing the result of the preventive procedure.
“I share these scars with many women I love,” she told the magazine. “And I’m always moved when I see other women share theirs.”
Knowing the power of choice, Angelina is advocating for BCRA screenings available to every woman so that she can “determine her own healthcare journey and have the information she needs to make informed choices.”
“Genetic testing and screening should be accessible and affordable for women with clear risk factors or a significant family history,” Jolie told TIME France.
“When I shared my experience in 2013, it was to encourage informed choices. Healthcare decisions must be personal, and women must have the information and support they need to make those choices. Access to screening and care should not depend on financial resources or where someone lives.”
