I am sure that most of you have heard the celebrity news about Angelina Jolie by now.

She has been sharing her personal journey to PREVENT cancer. Angelina Jolie’s mother died at a young age (56) of ovarian cancer. Cancer does not pick favorites, or pass over anyone based on social strata or power or wealth. However, being a celebrity does give you options: upon finding that she was positive for the BRCA1 mutation, Angelina Jolie was able to have a double mastectomy.

Now, she is sharing her story with the world, because she wants women to be informed and proactive about their health.

I am so thrilled that, as women in general, and as a cancer survivor, there is a spokeswoman who is in a unique position to humanize what so many consider to be an extreme method of prevention.

As I have shared before, after I gave birth to my son, I asked my doctor to perform a prophylactic mastectomy. No dice. Way too extreme, I was told. When I was diagnosed with breast cancer, I really wanted to go look my doctor up and ask him how extreme he thought it was at that point. I resisted that temptation. 😉

So I have to say, even though I have no personal connection with Angelina Jolie, I am totally impressed by the courage of her choice this year. Brava!

My friends, get your cancer screenings! Even if you are a young man, if your mother had breast cancer or has the BRCA1 genetic mutation, you need to make sure your prostate exams start early. The risks for us all are so high, and with enough monitoring, detection, and information, we may all be so fortunate as to make choices about our cancer risks BEFORE battling through cancer itself.

Blessings, blessings, blessings to you all!