What would YOU do?

The topic I started off writing about this morning has been preempted by Angelina Jolie's news.

Didn't hear?  Angelina Jolie has announced that she has undergone a double mastectomy after discovering that she had a faulty gene that put her at huge risk for developing both breast cancer and ovarian cancer.

You can read the op-ed piece Angelina wrote for the New York Times here.

In the last year alone, I have had two friends battle breast cancer successfully.  The odds are so much better than they were even 10 years ago.  One of these friends chose to be genetically tested to determine what kind of cancer this was; i.e. would it be better to stick with the radiation plan that the doctors had devised, or ought she go with a more aggressive strategy that included chemotherapy.  After spending $3000 of her own money, it was clear that radiation alone would more than suffice and she is unlikely to have a recurrence.  She can afford to get that test, many women cannot.

Angelina is a mother of six and has watched her own mother die young from this horrific disease.  I can understand her decision.  I am also confident that her reconstructive surgery has been top-notch and that unless she had told us, we might never have known that she had had this operation.  What I am unsure of is whether such surgeries are fully funded here in Canada (sure some of you will know that!), including determining if there is a genetic predisposition to certain kinds of cancer.  I know for certain that testing to determine the best course of treatment is not.

I applaud Angelina for coming out and starting this discussion.  For many, she is the epitome of glamour and sex appeal.  I do not expect that to change.  But for me, her humanitarian work, coupled with her advocacy for women's health is where her real glamour lies.

Would love to hear your thoughts on this?  Have you done genetic testing?  Would you?  Can you?  As our technologies become more advanced, it is critical  that everyone has access to this kind of information. And as I said Angelina was tested because she had a a strong likelihood of a predisposition.  That strong predisposition is still thankfully rare.  But there are many cancer patients who would benefit from testing while undergoing their treatment plans.   My friend had the money for her testing.  Someone tell me that we are really close to the rest of the world just swabbing and getting that information almost instantly?  If Angelina's story can spur more of us to demand equal access to genetic testing than I think she will have done more than simply save her own life.  She may save the lives of countless others.

I love it when celebrities do good things with their celebrity.

So happy Tuesday and stay safe out there!