Gene testing is becoming more and more popular. It’s as close to a medical crystal ball as science has ever come. And for those who have done it, it’s literally life-changing.
Angelina Jolie has gone public with her decision to have a double mastectomy after finding out through testing that she carried a mutated gene that would give her an 87% chance of getting breast cancer and a higher than average risk of ovarian cancer. Jolie’s mother died from breast cancer at age 56, which prompted Jolie to get tested. As a mother of 6 you can certainly understand her desire to stay healthy and raise them at virtually any cost.
But it’s not a decision that every woman makes with the same evidence in hand. Kara DioGuardi, the former American Idol judge, also found out she had the same gene mutation with roughly the same odds of developing breast cancer as well as a 30% risk of ovarian cancer. DioGuardi chose to have a hysterectomy and a baby via a surrogate but not remove her breasts. She says she will still consider a mastectomy down the road if her doctor recommends it. Jolie is planning to have her ovaries removed soon.
Medical experts say the average woman has a 12% risk of breast cancer, which goes up with every close relative who has the disease. And it makes sense to get tested only if you have a family risk. There are critics who say someone like Jolie is creating hysteria with her operations but I disagree. I think we can all judge for ourselves and we don’t have a right to say what she should or shouldn’t do with her own body. The other option was to wait and see and to step up the regimen of testing via ultrasounds, mammograms and what have you. But that would only catch the cancer early – one would hope – and not prevent it. And frankly both Angelina and Kara have the resources to deal with the many reconstructive surgeries necessary. Not everyone has those options.
Anyone with a platform who illuminates choices about our health, in my view, is taking a positive step and using their celebrity for good. That’s something Angelina Jolie has done for years with her activism. You can read her story in her own words here: Angelina Jolie in the New York Times.
I’ve been sick to my stomach about some of the comments on our CHFI Facebook page. From saying “I am sick of hearing about her masacamy” (sic) to “She is an attention whore”…”what is she plugging?” Another common thread has been “if this was you or me, who’d care?” Well, the simple answer to that is that the writer was probably never a sex symbol, admired as much for her curves as her talents. This is huge and brave. And what I love most of all is that she told the story on HER terms without the room-temp-IQ hosts of some entertainment show breaking it for her. What a feat in 2013!
I’m happy to say I haven’t read those comments. Reminds me of someone this week who asked why Tim Bosma didn’t just text for help!
There are no words to respond with – it just is. I agree that this is a big deal for all women to learn about from an icon in pop culture, regardless of how each of us personally feels about her. It’s huge.