Bloody Hell - Angelina Jolie

[LtEveDallas]

Have just seen this on the news:

BBC News

Poor woman. Must be terrifying to be given 'odds' like those. What a terrible decision to have to make, but the right one I think.

Not sure it warranted the main headlines on GMTV this morning though. Awful decision that it may have been there are more important things happening in the world.

It will raise awareness. Some women may want to get tested for the gene if they have a family history of breast cancer, other women may check their breasts more often.

Well yes, of course, but you could say that about any news story, surely?

I think someone like her who is 'high profile' having to go through the same thing as many other poor women, but under a media spotlight is probably 'worthy' of the attention - maybe it will help other women come forward, or seek support.

I thought it was good that the news made headlines- there must be a lot of women out there whose self esteem and self image get a real battering when they have to have a mastectomy- being able to identify with Jolie could potentially help a lot of women through a very tough time.

Poor woman. Huge deal for any woman but for someone who essentially makes a living out of their image and appearance... very brave. She has two biological daughters doesn't she? Must be fearful for them too.

My friend has just had this done.
A very difficult decision.

My dc stepmum had this done last year. She is a brave lady. Lots of pain and on going hospital appointments.

I haven't got anything to say that others haven't but just wanted to add my support for a brave woman on the off chance she mns

Never liked her, but have huge admiration for the decision she's made. Wonder if that might be one of the reasons she's adopted children (as well as had biological children too).

Good for her for being so honest - also telling it like it is about what a big deal and how scary the surgery is.

Would that mean she had a hysterectomy as well, also to remove her ovaries? That's rough, so she'll be in her menopause.

It's no wonder she was wearing those weird kaftans, and burka like clothes recently, she must have been in agony.

I admire her humainatrian work, her visits to Bosnia and the Congo were very important to highlight yet again that mass rape of women and children is an unacceptable feature of war.

I wonder how she feels about her two bio daughters, and as someone says, maybe that's what drives her to adopt.

It's amazing how when we get the full, or at least a fuller picture of someone, our judgey pants feel so much like a wedgie.

Good for her to speak out about it and give reassurance to other women. it cant have been an easy decision to make. i didnt know she does so much for humanitarian causes either.

I did wonder about a hysterectomy - chance if ovarian cancer 50%? No thanks.

I think that giving it prominence in the media is a good thing. It puts it out there, and helps make a mastectomy a normal thing for "mere mortals" who also need one.

I never liked her either - since Tomb Raider which was essentially marketed on her breasts, I felt she represented the worst of hollywood objectification of women, then there was the affair with Brad Pitt which didn't leave a good taste. I am changing my mind rapidly though. I greatly respect the humanitarian work she does, raising awareness of war 'tactics' of raping women and children etc and now this. This must have been an incredibly difficult decision for her. I am sure it is for any woman but she is SO in the public eye. I think she is doing a great thing by prioritising herself and her family and at the same time, raising awareness for others. Respect.

I liked how in the NYTimes article she highlights the fact that for most normal people the genetic testing she had is not affordable for most people. By raising awareness, here's hoping more funding will be given over to such matters.

I think this is incredibly brave. I think good on you, Angelina for being open and honest about this.

Do you know what else I think about this? I think even more so than ever that Seth McFarlane's stupid, misogynistic song at the Oscars was ill-judged and very wrong.

Good luck to Angelina and her family.

What an awful decision to have to make.

I wonder how much her going public was to raise awareness and how much to pre-empt the tabloids speculating about her boob job.

What a horrible decision to have to make. Good for her for talking publicly about this.

Ive just posted in chat about this, I did not see this post sorry op.
I just hope that it gives women the confidence to do the same when the diagosis is like angelinas in that she would definatley get cancer.

What a decision to have to make especially when your breasts have been your earning potential like hers have, I bet they where insured!

Unfortunatley I can only ever picture her in tomb raider but I beleive she has done lots of charity good works..

Just shows though doesnt matter who you are or how much money you have cancer can strike..

If she opts to remove her ovaries they don't have to do a full hysterectomy. They remove the Fallopian tubes and ovaries. They don't like to do it when you are very young as it increases the risks of osteoporosis. She may have had that done or be planning. She's very brave. It's major surgery. I did it 18 months ago. Des make me worry about all my children.

I woman I worked with 20 years ago had a double mastectomy. Some people thought it was completely OTT then, but this was in the days before they could identify the gene.

However, as two aunties and then her mum died young through breast/ovarian cancer it was recommended by her mum's consultant - research findings had already identified the increased risk. She also had it done in her thirties when she'd completed her family.

I'm such a bad taper, I meant does not des.

She has done a very empowering thing, not only making the decision and carrying out the procedure, but also deciding how and where and to whom to break the story. She has retained control of it.

And for someone whose career has been more or less based on her breasts, it was an even bigger decision.