Angelina Jolie opens up about mother's cancer in passionate essay
Angelina Jolie is getting candid about cancer.
The "Maleficent: Mistress of Evil" star opened up about her family's cancer struggles, as well as the importance of emotional support in battling the disease, in a personal essay published in Time Thursday.
The actress, whose mother and grandmother both died of breast cancer, gave emotional insight into the cancer battle her mother, Marcheline Bertrand, faced.
"I remember once holding my mother’s hand, as she was receiving chemotherapy, when she started to turn purple and I had to race to get the nurse," Jolie revealed. "My mother seemed peaceful when she first knew she had cancer. I now see that in part it was because after many years of stress and struggle, people were forced to be gentle to her."
According to Jolie, who had a double mastectomy and later removed her ovaries and fallopian tubes to reduce her cancer risk, emotional care plays as key a role in women's health as medical care.
"What I’ve come to understand, as I’ve reflected on my own experiences and those of others I’ve met, is that while we should continue to push for advancement, care is not just about medical treatments," the 44-year-old wrote. "It’s also about the safety, dignity and support afforded to women, whether they’re battling cancer or trying to manage other stressful situations. And far too often they’re not given nearly enough."
The actress said one of her biggest goals is to meet her grandchildren.
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"I have lived over a decade now without a mom," she wrote. "She met only a few of her grandchildren and was often too sick to play with them. It’s hard now for me to consider anything in this life divinely guided when I think of how much their lives would have benefited from time with her and the protection of her love and grace.
"My mother fought the disease for a decade and made it into her 50s. My grandmother died in her 40s. I’m hoping my choices allow me to live a bit longer," Jolie said.
In regard to her own health, Jolie wrote she has "a patch for hormones" and "regular checkups." Additionally, she feels "more connected to other women" and often has "deeply personal conversations with strangers about health and family."
While Jolie appreciates medical advances made in cancer treatment, she said patients often have to deal with "scars in the mind" as well.
"People also ask how I feel about the physical scars I carry," she added. "I think our scars remind us of what we have overcome. They are part of what makes each of us unique. That diversity is one of the things that is most beautiful about human existence."
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For Jolie, women can improve their health not only through medical attention, but also by reducing stress in other areas of their lives.
"I understand now that we often focus on the specific cancer or illness affecting a particular woman, but miss the bigger diagnosis: her family situation, her safety and whether she is carrying stress that is undermining her health and making her days much more difficult," she wrote.
Jolie capped off her essay calling on respect and safety for women everywhere.
"All medical discoveries that extend our lives are welcome," she wrote. "But the bodies we are hoping to heal also need to be respected and spared preventable harm. Only if we feel safe and cared for are any of us able to reach our full potential."
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Angelina Jolie gets real on mom's cancer battles, double mastectomy
