Jolie’s disclosure helps women face risks of cancer

Thanks, Angelina. Obviously, I needed a kick in the pants.
Wednesday afternoon I took the time and trouble to get a mammogram. Oh, so hard.
Let’s see, it took 30 minutes, tops, out of my day with nothing but smiles and friendly small talk by Andrea Hottenstein, the radiology technician at Allen County Hospital. The hardest part was the self-inflicted anxiety while waiting for it all to begin. Several long, deep breathes as I glanced over at the torture chamber, the euphemistically named Mammomat Inspiration. Call me mammogramatically challenged.
And then I don’t know what happened. It was over.
No pain. No clenching of the jaw. Four simple positions and snap, I’m good to go.
I am embarrassed to admit it, but it had been five years since my last mammogram. I know better. And at 57, I’m in that age bracket, 50 to 70, when breast cancer is most likely to occur.
The average woman has a 12 percent chance of contracting breast cancer. That’s uncomfortably high and it’s a good bet most of us know someone who has weathered the disease.
Angelina Jolie’s chances of getting breast cancer were estimated at 87 percent because of her genetic makeup. Her mother died at 56 from cancer.  Those BRCA 1 and 2 genes also give her 50 percent odds of contracting ovarian cancer.
The actress took pre-emptive measures and had a double mastectomy with breast reconstruction. Next, she will have her ovaries removed. Of the two cancers, ovarian cancer is the more deadly and the more difficult to detect. Most ovarian cancers reoccur and become increasingly resistant to chemotherapy. Only 50 percent of women who contract ovarian cancer survive.
I’ve lost close friends to both breast and ovarian cancer. Sue was 43; Carol was 55.

ANGELINA helped put a very public face on a very private decision. She should be commended for doing everything she can to beat the odds of contracting cancer. For those of us not considered high-risk, annual mammograms are recommended.
I know, I know. Bring on the wet noodle.