In this morning’s New York Times, Angelina Jolie revealed that she decided to have a double mastectomy as a preventative measure to fight against the Big C—the disease that took her own mother at the young age of 56.
Cancer. It is a powerful word and one that was influential enough for the celebrity to take measures into her own hands after learning that she carried the BRCA1 gene that increases her chances for developing breast cancer and ovarian cancer.
My doctors estimated that I had an 87 percent risk of breast cancer and a 50 percent risk of ovarian cancer, although the risk is different in the case of each woman.”
We can’t be certain, but we are sure that before Angelina made this very big (and potentially lifesaving) decision she did her homework. We hope that none of you are faced with needing to make a choice so large, especially when it comes to your health, but undoubtedly you will need to conquer some big decisions along the way.
Here are some tips on the healthy way to make your way through the decision process:
1. Make a List of Pros and Cons
This is something you might think to do when choosing between colleges or where to go on vacation, but this old school list can really put things into perspective. We are sure Angelina and Brad worked through this together and with their doctors before she made the decision to do the surgery. One of the very strong pros for her was family—it guided her decision.
2. Take Action and Check it Out
No big decision should ever be made on a whim. You can’t figure everything out by simply sitting on the couch. Angela’s decision was made possible with the expert advice of Pink Lotus Breast Center and, we are sure, many other supporting factors of her own. The point being, she got up and made the calls she needed to before coming to an ultimate decision. This is an important step in the art of decision making.
3. Think of Things in Segments
A large decision may seem overwhelming at first. Imagine Angelina’s very first thoughts on having a double mastectomy. That first thought may come with a lot of fear. Remember to take things one step at a time, one chapter at a time. After Angelina’s research phase a plan was set forth. As she noted on February 2nd she underwent her first procedure and over the next 3 months several more, but she did everything one at a time. Be prepared to make a plan that will set you up to brave each step of your process.
4. Trust Your Gut
As Angelina so gracefully stated at the end of her Op-Ed piece, there are some things in life that are out of your control and some things you cannot. For her, this was one that she didn’t have to wait to figure out and instead took matters into her own hands, what she thought was right: “Life comes with many challenges. The ones that should not scare us are the ones we can take on and take control of.”
We are making some assumptions on Angelina’s process, of course, but we can imagine that she didn’t walk through the cancer center doors with this decision 100% made. Most inspiring of all from Angelina’s story is that she stated that she feels more empowered than ever: “ On a personal note, I do not feel any less of a woman. I feel empowered that I made a strong choice that in no way diminishes my femininity.”
If you want to know about Angelina’s preventative double mastectomy watch below:
What do you think about Angelina’s choice? Have you ever had to make a big decision regarding your health?
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[…] now we’ve all heard the news that Angelina Jolie’s preventative double mastectomy to reduce her breast cancer risk. Based on her family history (her mother died of cancer at age […]