Angelina Jolie's prophylactic surgery

The point I am trying to make is that what AJ does with her body, the decisions she has made are no ones business- unless her actions affect you personally the decisions she makes are nobodys business- I have read posts condeming her over and over again for the choice she made- the choice she made in my opinion is nobodys busiiness-it is her body, her life and if she wants to become a quadruple amputee to ensure that she is around to watch her children grow up it is nobodys business. I think it is very sad that b/c she is a celebrity all of a sudden it is a big deal b/c of who she is-her life is more important than all the thousands who fight this disease every day- granted that is not her fault, but the same people who helped put her on that pedestal are some of the same ones who are throwing rocks at her today for making the decision she did..

I don't have to be afflicted with a disease or know someone who is to see the benefit of helping where I can- I volunteer for Relay for Life- I volunteer for many causes b/c I see the need and I want to help-

"In the trenches"  is my figure of speech for what I feel like we are all doing, where we all are-fighting this disease,one day at time- there is really no mystery,or hidden meaning to it.. 

amen exbrnxgrl!

Humans always try to find a common thread.  With AJ we have one...we see her photos, we hear what she is doing, we watch her movies and we form opinions about her.

'We' is a collective we.  Many, like myself, generally don't watch or care what she is up to. 

She started a conversation.  More people will know what this is all about.  Unfortunately, most the women who are living their day to day lives who have made the same choice are unable to have such an impact.

I would much rather have her speak out and not keep it her business / to herself.  Yes, it's an odd way around things but she can be heard - think of her as a town crier.   They are someone with the strongest lungs to be heard by the most people possible.  Her 'lungs' are the media.  

Well said, Caryn.

How many of us are on forums for say, colon cancer, pancreatic, thyroid, lung, stomach, bone, mouth, etc., etc., etc., other serious diseases?  And even if not on forums, how many of us simply write out a check or drop loose change in containers for other important causes.  Perhaps AJ is on here but under an assumed name, or on one of the other BC support website. 

I think AJ did what was right for her. Am I envious she has the best of surgeons, physio, skin care, nursing, etc to get her through it? Yes. But I do not criticize her for it. If I knew about my genetic mutation beforehand, I would have done the same. I had never even heard about it before I was diagnosed 3 years ago. At least she has made more public awareness about Genetic Mutations and breast cancer, and how to reduce your risk.

Now she will have to follow up with her children later on I life too. Maybe by then they can find a way to block the gene. We can always hope.

Envy is one thing, but jealousy is never healthy....you can tell by reading some of these threads.

That article is wacky. I almost had to check the URL to make sure I wasn't reading The Onion. :-)



I'm not going to defend People magazine, but I think this statement is entirely wrong:

"But the smoking gun is the fact that Angelina Jolie's seemingly spontaneous announcement magically appeared on the cover of People Magazine this week -- a magazine that is usually finalized for publication three weeks before it appears on newsstands."



So by that logic, tragic events like hurricanes, tornadoes, mass shootings, (not to mention celebrity breakups!) must also have been presaged three weeks prior to publication? Phew, so glad to have that clarified, because I've always marveled at the People mag covers in the supermarket checkout lines that feature events that happened just days ago. ;-)

I agree the article was wacky in some ways. But if it makes people realize how terribly wrong it is for a company to think they can patent a gene, and charge thousands of dollars for the test, well I hope it spreads to every corner of the globe.



If I had the gene I would have done exactly what she did (assuming insurance would pay). The only negativity about the story from this corner is about the way the media has presented it as "no big deal". Well sure, it was no big deal for her - she didn't have cancer! She had small incisions and got to keep her skin/nipples intact. She didn't have any lymph nodes removed, which is the cause of 99% of the pain & impairment we have to deal with. Forever!! And she didn't have to go through chemo and rads. So for the media to present MX as "no big deal" and "good as new afterward" that does a huge disservice to all the rest of us, who had no choice, and will most definitely never be the same again.

Hi there Joan, just read your article and all I can say is Bravo!!! Sometimes people are quick to judge never having walked in those shoes. Easy to sit back and say what you would do when you have never had to make the choice to do it.  Unless you have faced a cancer diagnosis I don't think people should be judging a woman that made a very difficult decision for the sake of her family.  I really take offense to the word "mutilation".  I'm sorry but removing a diseased part from your body is not mutilation.  Thanks for posting this article and I hope people start to not judge unless you've been in those shoes.
Cindee

LintRollerDerby,

I too, have been amazed by some of the vehement, negative responses I have seen here and in the Media, since this story broke.

My thoughts have been with the ones having to make the hard decisions. Not just AJ, but all those, who actually carry that gene. 

I knew there would be some here, who would be feeling the flack from those comments aimed at AJ.  I find it all incredibly distasteful, and couldn't agree with you more, it is, a deeply personal choice. Period!

All power to you, and all those who have to walk that same road. Having to make this choice simply because of the genetic hand you've been dealt with, is not something, I believe, anyone has a right to judge. 

Ariom,



Thank you for your support. When people attack Angelina Jolie for her decision, it feels like an attack on us who are dealt the same genetic hand. If someone doesn't agree, then fine; however, there's no need to disparage those who are actually faced with those decisions--decisions which make us feel we have no good options. The people who proclaim that she--and by extension we--choose mastectomy for a "free boob job" make me furious. As do those who claim we can control our genes with diet. Sure, a good diet is important for everyone, especially those with a predisposition, but these boards have plenty of members who "did everything right" and still got this horrid disease.



I apologize for my rant. Again, I appreciate your support and your understanding. So many of us in the BRCA community appreciate understanding about this topic.





vmudrow,



You're very right. It's a huge burden to live with. Thank you for your support as well.

No problem LintRollerderby!

Don't apologise, we are all here, for anyone who wants to rant.

To suggest that anyone would make this extreme choice to get a free boob job is absurd, to say the least.

The whole diet and clean living thing is a a mute point too, as so many have , as you said, done everything right and still got BC.

I think we all should be supporting each other in our decisions, we don't necessarily have to agree, but support isn't about agreeing, necessarily. It's about being there if needed. We've all felt the fear. I don't wish that on anyone, to bare alone.

Take care of you, and that Daughter of yours!

I wish you both all the very best!

Thank you, Ariom. I do appreciate your support.



And Shayne, you are right. It is varying degrees of suckiness.

Thanks, sas.

I know it has been mentioned that there is no other option than mastecomy. But isn't the uk now offering tamoxifen as a preventative treatment to high risk women? Just wondered.



Personally I am all for mastecomy if you so chose. And I am yet to find a good enough reason to keep a body part I no longer need that just MIGhT kill me if I keep it.



Good luck ladies. There are tough decisions to be made. No one has the right to tell anyone else that they have chosen wrongly.