Angelina Jolie took to Instagram on Monday to pay tribute to her late mother, Marcheline Bertrand, who died of breast and ovarian cancer in 2007, at age 56.
“Tomorrow would have been my mother’s 73rd birthday. She passed away 15 years ago, after a long struggle with breast and ovarian cancer,” the post, accompanied by a photo of Jolie as a young girl posing with her mother, began.
“In June, I will be a month away from the age when she was diagnosed,” Jolie, 47, continued. “I have had preventive surgeries to try to lessen chances but I continue to have check ups.”
She went on to write, “My mom loved [Jimi] Hendrix. And would always sign her letters Kiss the Sky. It took on new meaning after she passed. Sending my love to those who have also lost loved ones and strength to those who are fighting at this very moment for their lives and the lives of those they love.”
“And to other women, please take the time to look after yourself and go for your mammograms and blood tests or ultrasounds, particularly if you have a family history of cancer,” the Maleficent star added.
Jolie elected to have a double mastectomy in 2013 after being diagnosed with the BRCA1 gene, which put her at high risk for developing breast cancer.
Following an ovarian cancer scare two years later, she had her ovaries and fallopian tubes removed in a hysterectomy procedure.
“I simply feel I made choices to improve my odds of being here to see my children grow into adults, and of meeting my grandchildren,” Jolie wrote in a 2019 Time magazine essay. “My hope is to give as many years as I can to their lives, and to be here for them.”
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