Sidetalk: Brave Angelina Jolie Undergoes Double Mastectomy & What It Will Mean For Awareness

This evening we'll be having the first of our weekly off topic posts. Focusing on topics making the headlines which are relevant to readers. As this is primarily a fashion blog aimed at ladies today's news about style icon  Angelina Jolie seemed a very appropriate story to focus on.

To the surprise of many the academy award winning actress and humanitarian revealed she has undergone a double mastectomy in her moving article for The New York Times My Medical Choice.

'My mother fought cancer for almost a decade and died at 56. She held out long enough to meet the first of her grandchildren and to hold them in her arms. But my other children will never have the chance to know her and experience how loving and gracious she was.

 We often speak of "Mommy's mommy", and I find myself trying to explain the illness that took her away from us. They asked if the same could happen to me. I have always told them not to worry, but the truth is I carry a "faulty" gene, BRCA1, which sharply increases my risk of developing breast cancer and ovarian cancer'.

Angelina goes on the explain the frightening statistics she was faced with:

'My doctors estimated that I had an 87 percent risk of breast cancer and a 50 percent risk of ovarian cancer.

With this knowledge, Angelina decided there was only one viable course of action to minimise the risk. She made the difficult decision to have a double mastectomy and underwent three months of medical procedures which she completed on April 27. The actress has shared her story in the hopes other women can benefit from her experience.

'I wanted to write this to tell other women that the decision to have a mastectomy was not easy. But it one I am very happy that I made My chances of developing breast cancer have dropped from 87 percent to under 5 percent. I can tell my children that they don't need to fear they will lose me to breast cancer'.

Brad Pitt's support was an invaluable resource:

'I am fortunate to have a partner, Brad Pitt, who is so loving and supportive. So to anyone who has a wife or girlfriend going through this, know that you are a very important part of this transition'.

Brad Pitt has publicly made comments on Angelina's decision describing her as "absolutely heroic". In recent public appearances it is hard to fathom Angelina was going through such a life-changing time but it is a private time for any woman and having the opportunity to announce it one her own terms was obviously very important. The impact a global star like Angelina coming out to speak on preventative measures which could radically reduce the risk of getting breast cancer will be remarkable in terms of awareness and publicity.

Angelina is regularly described as one of the world's most beautiful women and the mastectomy has not changed that "I don't feel any less feminine and the results of reconstruction can be beautiful". A very brave decision for Angelina, a life saving one.