Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Today Angelina Jolie published a revealing personal story in the New York Times entitled “My Medical Choice“. Being one of the biggest A-listers out there, everyone paid attention– she quietly went through a preventive double mastectomy procedure under a month ago.
Her mother fought breast cancer for a decade and passed away at age 56; Jolie knew she herself had an 87% risk of breast cancer because of a faulty gene. The unique part of her story is that instead of waiting for the risk to materialize, she decided to have the preventive procedure. She had her breast tissue completely removed. She said ” 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.”
While it’s important to note that she was able to afford such a surgery, when expensive testing is an obstacle for many women in lower income countries, it’s still an empowering message to send to women. We are in control of our own health. Jolie wrote, “Life comes with many challenges. The ones that should not scare us are the ones we can take on and take control of.”
The topic of breast cancer is one that is near and dear to us at Henkaa. We participate in the annual Run for the Cure in support of the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation and recently we were invited to attend the Community Celebration to celebrate the achievements of the fundraisers in our community. It’s proven now that living well can reduce your risk of breast cancer. So let this message empower you– be healthy & have yourself screened for early detection.
photo from getty images
