What's this? This is an unbiased just-the-facts news timeline ('newsline') about Angelina Jolie, created by Newslines contributors. Become a contributor

Angelina Jolie

Angelina Jolie82 posts

Angelina Jolie is a film actress, screenwriter, and director, born in 1975 in Los Angeles, California. She has appeared in numerous films such as Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, Wanted, Salt, and Maleficent. She also works with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. She is married to Brad Pitt.

Latest News view > Click for Biography view
24 Mar, 2015

Ovaries removed

HospitalWrites Article4 Comments

Jolie undergoes a laparoscopic bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy to have her ovaries removed, after her doctor warns her that she could have cancer. She is entering early menopause and can no longer have children. Describing the process:

Your CA-125 is normal,” he said. I breathed a sigh of relief. That test measures the amount of the protein CA-125 in the blood, and is used to monitor ovarian cancer. I have it every year because of my family history. But that wasn’t all. He went on. “There are a number of inflammatory markers that are elevated, and taken together they could be a sign of early cancer.” I took a pause. “CA-125 has a 50 to 75 percent chance of missing ovarian cancer at early stages,” he said. He wanted me to see the surgeon immediately to check my ovaries.

I went through what I imagine thousands of other women have felt. I told myself to stay calm, to be strong, and that I had no reason to think I wouldn’t live to see my children grow up and to meet my grandchildren. I called my husband in France, who was on a plane within hours. The beautiful thing about such moments in life is that there is so much clarity. You know what you live for and what matters. It is polarizing, and it is peaceful. That same day I went to see the surgeon, who had treated my mother. I last saw her the day my mother passed away, and she teared up when she saw me: “You look just like her.” I broke down. But we smiled at each other and agreed we were there to deal with any problem, so “let’s get on with it.

Regardless of the hormone replacements I’m taking, I am now in menopause. I will not be able to have any more children, and I expect some physical changes. But I feel at ease with whatever will come, not because I am strong but because this is a part of life. It is nothing to be feared.

Feb 2013

Double mastectomy

Hospital0 Comments

Jolie finds out out she is carrying the BRCA1 gene which gives her an 87% of contracting breast cancer. As a preventive measure she has a double mastectomy, reducing the chances of her getting the disease to less than 5%. She writes an op-ed in the New York Times about her experience:

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 the transition. Brad was at the Pink Lotus Breast Center, where I was treated, for every minute of the surgeries. We managed to find moments to laugh together. We knew this was the right thing to do for our family and that it would bring us closer. And it has.

I can tell my children that they don’t need to fear they will lose me to breast cancer. It is reassuring that they see nothing that makes them uncomfortable. They can see my small scars and that’s it. Everything else is just Mommy, the same as she always was. And they know that I love them and will do anything to be with them as long as I can. On a personal note, I do not feel any less of a woman. I feel empowered that I made a strong choice that in no way diminishes my femininity.

The reconstructive surgery lasts through April. Jolie is also told she has a 50% of contracting ovarian cancer but will deal with that at a later time.