I originally wrote this for ieatgrass.com. 
Angelina Jolie, humanitarian, actress and one of America’s biggest sex symbols, recently took the public eye away from her lips when she stepped out in an op-ed piece written for the New York Times with an unexpected admission: She had a double mastectomy after learning she is genetically susceptible to breast and ovarian cancer.
This proactive procedure cut her cancer risk from 87 percent to under 5 percent. I am so beyond impressed with her bravery in not only making that hard decision, but in talking about it publicly, encouraging other women to evaluate all of their choices when it comes to cancer prevention.
In her op-ed, she writes that she is stepping forward to talk about her procedure because she hopes that other women can benefit from her experience.
“I choose not to keep my story private because there are many women who do not know that they might be living under the shadow of cancer,” Jolie writes.
It is miraculous that Jolie was able to hide this from the public since her procedure in April. The media attacks celebrities for stepping outside wearing the wrong footwear, let alone the removal of both breasts. So kudos to her on keeping it private, and triple kudos to her on then coming forward and talking about the experience for the benefit of others. Well done, Angelina. Continue reading
