Hope everyone had a good weekend. It was Mothers Day over here this past Sunday so though I believe Mother's Day is everyday and a mothers job is never done, I still wish every mom, grand-mom, god-mum, aunty, sister, nannies a belated mother's day.
SourceSo this morning as I was trying to catch a bit of news and gossip on TV, I saw the picture of Angelina Jolie flit through my screen and I was wondering whether she had a movie coming out or she was finally tying the knot with Brad Pitt. I didn't wonder for long though as I found out she had a double mastectomy as a preventive measure against cancer.
According to the op-ed published in NY Times, she said her mother struggled with cancer for about 10 years and died at 56. She found it difficult explaining to her kids about the sickness that took their grandmother. After genetic tests, she found out she also had the defective gene with an 87 percent chance of having breast cancer and a 50 percent chance of having ovarian cancer. She said it wasn't an easy decision to make but she was happy she made it. She took a proactive step. She not only wants to stay healthy and active for her family but she also wants to confidently reassure them that she is doing everything possible to avoid the disease that took their grandma.
Before today, I wasn't a Jolie fan because of the Brad Pitt- Jennifer Aniston issue. I saw her as the "other woman" that came to destroy a "perfect" couple. I laid all the blame on her, though at the back of my mind, I knew that no 'other woman' can take your man if your man doesn't want to be taken. Anyway, hearing this news today changed my mind about her. She is not just your average celebrity, she is also a thoughtful woman who is committed to making the world a better place. She wrote her article in the hope that other women will benefit from her experience.
These days every news is food for reality tv, you can just imagine if this was to be happening to one of the Kardashians, they would have turned it to a media circus. She broke the news on her own weeks after the last medical procedure, in an article in NY times. Even after the procedure, I bet everyone will still think the Lara Croft protagonist is still sexy.Though it is expensive to do the genetic tests and Jolie's situation is rare but she encouraged women with family history of breast and ovarian cancer to seek medical advice for their particular situation as every cancer is different.
Most important for me is that she has gotten people taking about breast cancer again. There is a lot of fear and ignorance about cancer but the only way we can reduce the number of people dying from this disease annually is by awareness....by talking about it.... and then doing something about it.For that, Bravo Ms. Jolie.
PS:There is nothing like a good support system during a time like this. ... And yes, they look good together.
