I woke up this morning to an exploding inbox.

Text from my dad and tweets from my sister-in-law.  “What do you think of AJ’s news?”  I hadn’t had a cup of coffee yet.  “Wha? Who?”….I opened the links.

My Medical Choice

Kudos and congratulations to Angelina Jolie for coming to the other side of a difficult journey.  Her medical choice – and the decision to go public –  will help a lot of women think differently about their health and their futures.  The term for women who carry the genetic mutation mentioned in her Op-Ed…unknown to most people…. is Previvor.  It’s a term we are still defining as a group with an emerging identity.  We are still learning about new genetic mutations that can help us to better define what it means to be a Previvor.

It’s empowering to be able to make informed decisions about your health and your future.  Educate yourself.  Take some time to understand the relationship between cancer and genetics.  Understand that there are real obstacles to finding smarter ways to prevent cancer.  Know that BRCA mutations are rare, and testing isn’t appropriate for all women, but Previvors are an important part of our emerging knowledge about genetics and cancer.

In honor of Angelina’s decision today, I’d like to share a brave choice made by other women to go public with their own stories.  These women don’t have CNN and People Magazine calling them heroes like Angelina….but they are my heroes.  Check out their stories here….