Brad Pitt has spoken out about his fiancée’s heroism after the Hollywood actress underwent a double mastectomy to prevent developing cancer.
The Oscar-winning actress, whose mother Marcheline Bertrand died of ovarian cancer in 2007 at the age of 56, said in an article published in the New York Times today that she had taken the difficult decision so she could tell her children ‘they don’t need to fear they will lose me’.
Tests had revealed that Angelina possessed the faulty BRCA-1 gene, which gave her an 87 per cent chance of developing cancer.
Speaking out: Angelina, pictured here on April 4 this year after having her initial operation, underwent preventative surgery after discovering she had the faulty BRCA-2 gene. The genetic defect gave her an 87% chance of developing breast cancer
Pitt told London newspaper the Evening Standard : ‘Having witnessed this decision firsthand, I find Angie’s choice, as well as so many others like her, absolutely heroic.
‘I thank our medical team for their care and focus.
‘All I want for is for her to have a long and healthy life, with myself and our children. This is a happy day for our family.’
Several family members have spoken out in support for Angelina Jolie’s decision to undergo the procedure.
‘We’re so very proud of Angie, this means so much to our family especially our grandchildren. We love her dearly,’ Brad Pitt’s mother Jane, said in a statement to People magazine.
James Haven, Angelina Jolie’s older brother, also praised his sister for making the tough choice, comparing her to their mother Marcheline.]
‘My sister like our mother always put her children first,’ the 40-year-old actor told the magazine.’I am so grateful to be her brother.’
Although Angelina has undergone a series of life-altering operations since February, she has not let hospital appointments interfere with public engagements.
She visited the Republic of Congo on March 26 on humanitarian duties and attended the G8 summit in London on April 11 with William Hague, after her initial operations but before the all the procedures had finished.
Writing in an editorial piece entitled ‘My Medical Choice’ in the New York Times, Angelina explained her decision, revealing that she had the initial procedure on February 16th before having the reconstruction operation on April 20th.
She wrote: ‘My doctors estimated that I had an 87 per cent risk of breast cancer and a 50 per cent risk of ovarian cancer, although the risk is different in the case of each woman.
‘Only a fraction of breast cancers result from an inherited gene mutation. Those with a defect in BRCA1 have a 65 per cent risk of getting it, on average.
‘Once I knew that this was my reality, I decided to be proactive and to minimize the risk as much I could. I made a decision to have a preventive double mastectomy.
‘I started with the breasts, as my risk of breast cancer is higher than my risk of ovarian cancer, and the surgery is more complex.
Tragic loss: Angelina’s mother Marcheline Bertrand died from ovarian cancer at the age of 56. When Angelina discovered her late mother’s cancer was hereditary, she said that she decided to ‘be proactive to minimize the risk as much I could’
Family life: Angelina (left) is pictured on holiday as a 13-year-old teenager with her late mother Marcheline Bertrand (centre) and then 16-year-old brother James Haven
Angelina Jolie is pictured left with mother Marcheline Bertrand at Los Angeles airport in 1998, nine years before Ms Bertrand died of ovarian cancer, and right, with father Jon Voight in 2001
‘On April 27, I finished the three months of medical procedures that the mastectomies involved. During that time I have been able to keep this private and to carry on with my work.’
The star’s surgery was successful and doctors say Angelina’s chances of developing breast cancer have now lowered to less than 5 per cent.
‘I wanted to write this to tell other women that the decision to have a mastectomy was not easy,’ she wrote. ‘But it is one I am very happy that I made.
‘My chances of developing breast cancer have dropped from 87 per cent to under 5 per cent. I can tell my children that they don’t need to fear they will lose me to breast cancer.’
Angelina praised the support her fiancé Brad Pitt and their children, Maddox, 11, Pax, nine, Zahara, eight, Shiloh, six, and four-year-old twins Knox and Vivienne, gave her during treatment.
‘It is reassuring that they see nothing that makes them uncomfortable. They can see my small scars and that’s it. Everything else is just Mommy, the same as she always was. And they know that I love them and will do anything to be with them as long as I can.
Humanitarian: Angelina, pictured while still undergoing treatment on March 26, travelled to the Republic of Congo with William Hague to raise awareness of rape in war zones
After her trip to Africa, Angelina rejoined William Hague at the G8 summit on at Lancaster House on April 11. She said that the decision to undergo major surgery has empowered her and that it has in no way diminished her femininity
Angelina, pictured at the G8 summit, said she wants to encourage every woman, especially if they have a family history of breast or ovarian cancer, to seek out the information and medical help they might need
‘I am fortunate to have a partner, Brad Pitt, who is so loving and supportive. So to anyone who has a wife or girlfriend going through this, know that you are a very important part of the transition. Brad was at the Pink Lotus Breast Center, where I was treated, for every minute of the surgeries.
‘We managed to find moments to laugh together. We knew this was the right thing to do for our family and that it would bring us closer. And it has.’
Angelina assured that having the double mastectomy hasn’t changed the way she feels about herself and her womanliness, and added that results of reconstructive surgery ‘can be beautiful’.
‘On a personal note, I do not feel any less of a woman,’ she said. ‘I feel empowered that I made a strong choice that in no way diminishes my femininity.’
In addition, the brave star hopes that she can encourage other women to be informed and consider their options.
‘I am writing about it now because I hope that other women can benefit from my experience. Cancer is still a word that strikes fear into people’s hearts, producing a deep sense of powerlessness.
‘But today it is possible to find out through a blood test whether you are highly susceptible to breast and ovarian cancer, and then take action.’
Family matters: Angelina Jolie did her utmost to keep life as normal as possible for her and partner Brad Pitt’s six children
Angelina also paid tribute to her fiancé Brad Pitt in the U.S. article. She said that partners are very important during the ‘transition’ and that the couple have managed to find moments to laugh together during the ordeal
Brave: Angelina, pictured with 11-year-old son Maddox on April 12, hopes that speaking out will encourage other women to inform themselves and understand their options if they too have the faulty BRCA gene
Angelina added: ‘For any woman reading this, I hope it helps you to know you have options. I want to encourage every woman, especially if you have a family history of breast or ovarian cancer, to seek out the information and medical experts who can help you through this aspect of your life, and to make your own informed choices.
‘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. It is my hope that they, too, will be will able to get gene tested, and that if they have a high risk they, too, will know that they have strong options.
‘Life comes with many challenges. The ones that should not scare us are the ones we can take on and take control of.’
Foreign Secretary William Hague, who in March visited refugee camps in the Democratic Republic of Congo with Jolie as part of a campaign to highlight the problem of mass rape in conflict areas, said she was ‘a brave lady’ who would be ‘an inspiration to many’.
Mr Hague told Sky News: ‘She is a courageous lady and a very professional lady. She’s done a lot of work with me in recent months.
‘She also came over to the G8 foreign ministers’ summit in London to work with me on our initiative on preventing sexual violence in conflict and travelled with me through some difficult places in the Congo.
‘She gave no sign that she was undergoing such treatment and I think she’s a very brave lady, not only to carry on with her work so well during such treatment, but also to write about it now and talk about it. I think that she’s a brave lady and will be an inspiration to many.’
Source:https://www.dailymail.co.uk
