In an essay for TIME magazine's new Health Innovation issue, the 'Maleficent: Mistress of Evil' actress further admits she views the marks on her body from the surgeries as badges of honor.
- October 25, 2019
AceShowbiz - Angelina Jolie has no regrets about going public with her double mastectomy surgery.
The "Maleficent" actress underwent the procedure to remove breast tissue in 2013 and two years later, she had her ovaries and fallopian tubes removed in a bid to prevent breast and ovarian cancer, diseases that claimed the lives of her aunt, grandmother and mum, Marcheline Bertrand.
"I'm often asked how my medical choices, and being public about them, have affected me," Angelina writes in an essay for TIME magazine's new Health Innovation issue. "I simply feel I made choices to improve my odds of being here to see my children grow into adults, and of meeting my grandchildren."
"My hope is to give as many years as I can to their lives, and to be here for them."
Angelina, who is mum to six children, has a deeper appreciation for women's health after the preventative procedures and a new connection with fans that would have never been possible had she remained private about her medical choices.
"I have a patch for hormones, and I need to get regular health checkups," she adds. "I see and feel changes in my body, but I don't mind. I'm alive, and for now I am managing all the different issues I inherited. I feel more connected to other women, and I often have deeply personal conversations with strangers about health and family."
The star admits she views the marks on her body from the surgeries as badges of honour, noting: "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."
