I awoke a few days ago to the news story that Angelina Jolie
had decided proactively to undergo a double mastectomy due to the knowledge
that she carried the “cancer gene” BRCA1. It is with no hesitancy that I tell
you my first reaction to this news was “who cares.” I am not one for celebrity idolization, and I’ve found that
for every Bill Gates trying to eradicate disease, there seems to be a Jenny
McCarthy urging the public toward re-infection with campaigns advocating
against childhood immunizations for potentially life-threatening diseases. Obtuse would be a vast
understatement.
So I read Jolie’s piece in the New York Times. Her logic
seemed sound. Her mother died at
56 from cancer, and after taking a blood test, she learned that she too carried
this cancer gene. With her chances
of developing breast cancer being evaluated as higher that her chances of
avoiding it, Mrs. Jolie made the incredibly difficult decision to go ahead and
remove the potentially offensive breast tissue ahead of time.
In the face of such a rational argument, I was now left
thinking, “What Jolie did is either über Hollywood crazy or groundbreakingly
brave and courageous.” The truth is, while I may be over-educated, I am not a
cancer expert. I had no way of
evaluating this woman’s life decision in a scientific, reasoned manner. My guess is, you don’t either. Thankfully, my father just happens to
be an oncologist who has been practicing medicine for almost 40 years. So, I send him a text.
Dad. Angelina Jolie got a preventative
double mastectomy. My question to
you is whether her decision was smart or crazy, in your medical opinion.
His response: It was very smart, since she apparently
tested positive for the breast cancer gene!!! (his emphasis added) Her ovaries need to go next . . .
My father’s response changed everything for me. Everything. I believe Jolie is getting her ovaries removed as a next
step to her process. What’s more,
now I knew that all of this invasive preventative medicine was based in fact,
and seeing as I didn’t know this information until now, I realized that this
was important potentially life-saving information that until two days ago
lacked any public voice. If I grew
up with an oncologist and I wasn’t informed about the odds for contracting
cancer based on the presence of genetic markers, how many thousands, millions,
of women were in the same boat as me.
Which is why Jolie’s decision to publicize her decision will
save lives. Forget the bravery it
takes to get any piece of your body removed. Forget that this woman’s body has been fetishized,
glorified, and commodified since she was 14-years-old. Forget that her choice
shows a clear and laudable example of Jolie prioritizing her kids, family, and
health above her fame and adulation (are you taking notes Kardashians?). And forget
that this surgery is absolutely none of the general public’s business.
Actually, don’t forget that. Remember that this whole medical scenario that is playing out
for Hollywood’s super couple is the very definition of a personal matter. It is a miracle of science, but for
those with enough money, you can now go through this procedure (plus the breast
reconstruction) without the general public realizing it at all. So Jolie had the option to keep this
matter private. It’s easy to see
the appeal of keeping this all quiet when you imagine yourself going through
all of the doctor consults, the repeated medical procedures, and the physically
draining recovery.
Angelina Jolie’s choice to make her personal struggle a
public issue is quite possibly the single most important humanitarian action of
her fairly illustrious career (no sarcasm). It is easily her most important contribution
domestically. She has not only
taken the reins of her of life path, she has become a new type of model for
America: A role model.
I’m not saying you should start wearing a vile of your
hubby’s blood around your neck or to try to find hidden treasure in a tank top,
short shorts, and wearing a pair of 9mm pistols. What I am saying is that Jolie has made the conscious choice
to connect her name and fame to the testing and proactive prevention of breast
and ovarian cancer in the same way Magic Johnson more unwittingly became the
face of HIV back in the early 90’s. And I realize that it’s not a perfect comparison, but,
in terms of raising positive awareness for what can be terrify process, and
then additionally illustrating how people can proactively take control of their
own healthcare decisions, I think it holds up.
Because, the fact remains, that getting a piece of your body
removed is always scary as hell.
And, the very idea of getting cut open when you don’t even have a disease is too large a
psychological barrier for many people to push past. Even with a 75% chance of contracting the disease (the
percentages are different for every individual), many women will still choose
to forego the trouble, pain, and life-adjustment that surgery requires. And I don’t blame them. I know as well as anyone that surgery
can be scary as hell. (Have I mentioned that surgery scares me?)
But what we are learning now, or at least I am learning now, is that avoiding
surgery is not the smart decision if
living as long as possible is one of your goals. (I realize that factors like age and a desire to have
children are major mitigating factors here as well.) That said, these surgeries reduce the chances of developing
breast and ovarian cancer down to single-digit percentages. That’s down from 65 - 80 percent. And while a 60%-40% chance of developing
cancer may feel like a dice roll to some people, a 97% chance of no cancer must feel like an ice-cream
scoop full of heaven.
My father doesn’t get what all the fuss is about. He views Jolie’s decision as simply the
“correct” choice given our current medical knowledge. However, I can’t help shake the presence of her bravery in
using her platform as a famous sex symbol to publicly walk through the cloaked
tunnel of double mastectomy, and then to spread her knowledge on the process,
recovery, and positive outcomes with the general public. She will undoubtedly come to mind when
future women are placed in the same position, or used by doctors to help
explain a diagnosis that is part blood test, part genetics, and part
statistics. Because no matter what the numbers say,
getting your breasts removed is always a leap of faith.
Angelia Jolie has simply helped light the ground on the
other side.
