On Angelina Jolie and her brave decision …

As the week draws to a close, we had to post on the bravery of Angelina Jolie’s announcement on Tuesday that she had undergone a preventive double mastectomy. Writing openly about it in the The New York Times, the actress explained her decision to have the operation after discovering that she carried the “faulty” gene BRAC1, known to significantly increase the risk of the carrier developing breast and ovarian cancer.

‘Once I knew that this was my reality, I decided to be proactive,’ she wrote. ‘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’.

How wonderful to see a high profile Hollywood actress speaking out, openly and bravely, about a very personal decision which affects so many, in order to encourage, reassure and affirm. The ‘power’ of celebrity, at its very best. Photo via The Independent.