Angelina Jolie et le cancer du sein: un choix préventif

 Si on m'avait dit qu'un jour j'aurais une entrée de mon carnet web qui ferait la promotion d'un article d'Angelina Jolie, je me serais sans doute pincé pour me réveiller. Généralement, j'aime peu les prises de positions des artistes, principalement au plan politique. Mais lorsqu'on utilise la célébrité pour sensibiliser à des catastrophes, à des maladies rares, à la recherche ou à des causes humanitaires, je ne peux qu'appuyer. La lettre de Jolie qui paraît ce matin dans le NY Times me rejoint d'autant plus que le cancer du sein à durement affecté ma famille. Nous avons vécu un cas qui ressemble étrangement au sien... Un gène déficient, un cas qui n'affecte que 300 personnes à l'échelle de la planète. Je ne comprends que trop bien les inquiétudes et la souffrance des femmes atteintes et celle de leur entourage.  "Lara Croft" a probablement puisé dans ses réserves de courage pour passer à l'action, un courage que j'ai retrouvé chez une femme atteinte dans sa beauté et sa féminité.

  L'actrice réfère à ses enfants et comme parent je suis également conscient de notre responsabilité envers ceux à qui nous donnons la vie. Prendre soin de sa santé fait partie de nos responsabilités. Comment ne pas vouloir être là pour ma belle Déborah...

 "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 have 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.

 My doctors estimated that I had an 87 percent risk of breast cancer and a 50 percent risk of ovarian cancer, although the risk is different in the case of each woman.

Only a fraction of breast cancers result from an inherited gene mutation. Those with a defect in BRCA1 have a 65 percent risk of getting it, on average.

 Once I knew that this was my reality, I decided to be proactive and to minimize the risk as much I could. I made a decision to have a preventive double mastectomy. I started with the breasts, as my risk of breast cancer is higher than my risk of ovarian cancer, and the surgery is more complex.

 On April 27, I finished the three months of medical procedures that the mastectomies involved. During that time I have been able to keep this private and to carry on with my work.

 But I am writing about it now because I hope that other women can benefit from my experience. Cancer is still a word that strikes fear into people’s hearts, producing a deep sense of powerlessness. But today it is possible to find out through a blood test whether you are highly susceptible to breast and ovarian cancer, and then take action.

 L'article au complet:
  http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/14/opinion/my-medical-choice.html?hpw&_r=0