You men might have even squirmed a bit at the thought of this procedure as it would leave you impotent. Men would fight to keep their testicles intact and question a doctor's diagnosis to have something healthy removed. Yet, when Pitt's partner Angelina Jolie recently had a double preventative mastectomy she was being hailed a hero for breast cancer prevention.
Would Lance Armstrong have had chosen to go with a orchiectomy removal when he was 25 in the chance that he would one day develop testicular cancer, or would he have stayed the same course and kept up with regular check-ups? I can't answer for Lance, but I think of a more personal case, my grandmother, who found out she had breast cancer at 80.
I have to wonder would she have elected at 30 to have had her breasts removed just in case she was to develop breast cancer later in life if they could have done that procedure then. My grandmother is a fighter, she is now going on 15 years as a breast cancer survivor but in no circumstance would she have elected to have her breast removed prior to her diagnosis.
How many men and women will elect to have organs removed from their bodies because they are at higher risk of developing a form of cancer or other disease, or even out of fear? But if they had left their bodies alone, they would never have developed the disease.
Breast Cancer Gene
The breast cancer gene does not mean that you are going to get breast cancer; it just means that you are at a higher risk than the normal population at getting breast cancer. Woman who have the gene BRCA1 or BRCA2 abnormality have about 3 to 7 times greater risk than that of a woman who does not have the mutation. http://www.breastcancer.org/symptoms/testing/genetic/pos_results
Even with the double mastectomy there still a chance that breast cancer will form even though the breasts have been removed. As well, it does not mean that you won't get other forms of cancer in your body. "Women with an abnormal BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene also have an increased risk of developing ovarian, colon, pancreatic, and thyroid cancers, as well as melanoma." (www.breastcancer.org)
Looking at all this, several thoughts come to mind.
• What age are they going to start testing people to see if they have these gene mutations?
• What age should we start these preventative measures? Aleisha Hunter is a three year old from Canada who was diagnosed with breast cancer and had a mastectomy.
• Should we begin screening girls and boys at young ages to see if they have a chance of getting the disease and then for the girls not even allow them to develop?
• Where does it stop with removing body parts for preventative measures?
• Will parents begin screening their unborn babies to see if they have certain abnormal genes, and end pregnancies based off that, so that child will never have to have cancer?
• In my family, I lost my aunt to breast cancer and my grandma is going on 15 year survivor, I look at my options of what should I do. I have three options: I could live in fear that I too may get breast cancer; I could have my genes tested to see if I am at a higher risk and have my breasts removed at 32 if I am; or I can continue to live life and attempt to live a healthy, energetic, well balanced life and get check-ups and do self-checks on a regular basis.
Fear of the 'what if's
In all honesty, I am going to choose the last option because I do not want to live in fear of the what if's. The Bible clearly tells us that our days are numbered before one comes into being (Psalm 139) and who by worrying about this or that I will not add a moment it to it (Matthew 6 verse 27). For me, knowing what my genes say or don't say could be stressful. It could cause unnecessary fear, worrying about the future.
Instead, I will attempt to live an healthy lifestyle and take each day as it comes. I will not remove healthy organs from my body when there chance that they will remain normal and healthy. I do not want to live in fear of cancer or anything else.
Since there is an increase in having the gene and developing breast cancer, I do not think that we can take the ostrich with his head in the sand approach and pretend it never happens. Rather, we should all seek to have balanced lifestyles of being:
• spirit filled
• renewing our minds daily with the word of God
• eating properly and healthy
• exercise
• not smoking/ drinking little to know alcohol
• laugh once in a while
• visit our GP for regular check-ups
• And follow the advice of your GP/dietician/etc.
In all decisions in life not just with our health we need to make sure that fear is not the driving force behind our decision. We are called not to live a life of fear. We are called to live victoriously, not worrying about the what-if's.
I do not want to come across as criticising Angelina in her decision to do this, it is her body and she can do what she likes with it. It must have been a very difficult decision for her to choose this operation and I pray that the Lord uses it to bring her closer to him.
At the end of the day, we will not live forever. Our days are numbered. So no matter what we do we will eventually meet our Maker. If you are living in fear, there is victory in Christ, seek out a believer to help you in this area if you are struggling.
Genevieve Wilson is married with two children who served with YWAM for eight years in Brisbane and now serving in mission in Canada as a modern day abolitionist.
Genevieve Wilson's previous articles may be viewed at www.pressserviceinternational.org/genevieve-wilson.html
