Angelina Jolie’s admission that she underwent a preventive double mastectomy has a lot of people talking – and while raising awareness is invaluable, it inevitably becomes fodder for critics.
I should know: Three years ago, at the age of 28, I had a prophylactic double mastectomy and reconstructive surgery after learning I had a mutation of the BRCA1 gene.
I wrote about my experience for a number of websites, including TODAY, and tasted the vitriol and hate that can rain down from the Internet. Commenters made irrelevant remarks about my appearance, blasted me for wanting to have biological children despite my genetic mutation, and reassured me that I didn’t really need a double mastectomy because cancer is a fungus that can be cured with baking soda.
Read the rest of my piece over at Today Health!
Great articles, Lizzie. Thank you.