Angelina Jolie Reflects On Her Late Mother's Long Battle With Ovarian Cancer

In celebration of World Ovarian Cancer Day, Angelina Jolie urged women to prioritize their health, reflecting on her mother's death from breast and ovarian cancer.

In 2013, the Academy Award actress underwent preventive surgeries after genetic testing revealed that she carried the BRCA1 gene mutation, predisposing her to a higher risk of developing breast cancer. 

She has also been open about her experiences and the physical and emotional scars and encourages women to be proactive about their health.

Keep on reading to learn more.

On World Ovarian Cancer Day, Angelina Jolie took to social media to remind women to prioritize their health. The "Maleficent" actress shared a heartfelt post on Instagram, where she remembered her late mother, who lost her life to breast and ovarian cancer in 2007. Jolie posted an old picture of her and her mother and reflected on her mom's decade-long battle with cancer.

In her post, Jolie wrote, "Tomorrow would have been my mother's 73rd birthday. She passed away 15 years ago after a long struggle with breast and ovarian cancer." "In June, I will be a month away from the age when she was diagnosed. I have had preventive surgeries to lessen chances, but continue to have checkups," she added.

The 47-year-old also mentioned her mother's love for singer Jimi Hendrix and how she would sign her letters with "Kiss the Sky," the late guitarist's album title, which has taken on a new meaning since passing.

In the post, Jolie also expressed her "support for those who have lost loved ones and strength to those who are fighting at this moment for their lives and the lives of those they love."

The actress ended her message by encouraging women to prioritize their health and attend regular "mammograms, blood tests, and ultrasounds, particularly if you have a family history of cancer #worldovariancancerday."

In a heartfelt essay for Time magazine in 2019, Jolie shared her story of undergoing preventive procedures after losing her mother to ovarian cancer. "I simply feel I made choices to improve my odds of being here to see my children grow into adults and meet my grandchildren," she wrote.

The actress, who shares six children with ex-husband Brad Pitt, underwent a preventive double mastectomy followed by removing her ovaries and fallopian tubes. "I hope to give as many years as I can to their lives and to be here for them," she shared.

The "Salt" actress explained that she had "lived over a decade now without a mom," and her mother, who passed away in her 50s due to cancer, "met only a few of her grandchildren and was often too sick to play with them."

"It's hard now for me to consider anything in this life divinely guided when I think of how much their lives would have benefited from time with her and the protection of her love and grace. My mother fought the disease for a decade and reached her 50s. My grandmother died in her 40s. I'm hoping my choices allow me to live longer," she concluded.

Jolie's mother passed away at 56 after battling breast and ovarian cancer, and her aunt also succumbed to the same disease in 2013. In the same year, the humanitarian underwent genetic testing, which revealed that she carried the BRCA1 gene mutation, predisposing her to a higher risk of developing breast cancer. As a preventive measure, she decided to have a double mastectomy and had her ovaries and fallopian tubes removed two years after an ovarian cancer scare.

The Academy Award-winning actress has been open about her experiences and physical and emotional scars. In her essay for Times, she wrote, per People, "I think our scars remind us of what we have overcome. They are part of what makes each of us unique. That diversity is one of the most beautiful things about human existence." 

"The hardest scars to bear are often invisible, the scars in the mind," she added.