Sitting in a Montreal restaurant with Angelina Jolie, I am overjoyed that I am finally getting the opportunity to thank her for writing her op-ed article “My Medical Choice” in the New York Times two years ago. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/14/opinion/my-medical-choice.html?_r=0 I can’t believe that we are actually talking about preventative mastectomies, hysterectomies and BRCA mutations. It’s hard to imagine that only six years ago there was not much discussion about BRCA mutations and hereditary cancers, never mind trying to explain removing healthy breasts to prevent cancer that you might not ever get. This extreme measure is almost too much for most people to grasp and now, one of the most famous women in Hollywood has given us BRCA mutation carriers a voice. Thank you Angelina… Then my alarm goes off. A girl can dream! Two years after Angelina`s announcement in the New York times, genetic testing has gone up over forty percent. Hard to imagine that one women has such a powerful voice but it`s true. Knowledge really is power and when it`s linked to Hollywood and celebrities, word spreads fast. http://www.aarp.org/about-aarp/press-center/info-02-2015/aarp-report-brca-testing-jolie-effect.html I vividly remember the day that Angelina Jolie`s article came out. Everyone was talking about the risk reducing measures that she had taken to drastically decrease her risk of breast cancer All I could think was “Oh My God, Angelina just had the same surgery as me. Unbelievable! And she’s talking about it! She is giving BRCA a voice’! I
