• Home
  • About Me
    • My Bio
    • Sponsor Info
    • Giveaways
    • My Other Freelance Writing
    • Video Hello
    • blogging advice
  • Love + Relationships
    • Dating
    • Engagements
    • Letters to my future husband
    • Love Lounge
    • marriage
    • Memo To Men
    • Open Letters
    • Singlehood
    • virginity
    • Weddings
  • Fashion + Style
    • beauty
    • do or don’t
    • fashion
    • hair
    • jewelry
    • men’s fashion
    • women’s fashion
  • Art + Design
    • art
    • design
    • dream home
    • flowers
    • illustration
    • Photographs
    • posters
    • tattoos
    • typography
  • Disability Dialogue
    • body image
    • Dating
    • Dating With Disabilities
    • depression
    • disabilities in the media
    • Disability
  • Life + Leisure
    • babies
    • birthday
    • books
    • dream vacation
    • Entertainment and Media
    • etsy love
    • family
    • food
    • gift guide
    • holidays
    • In The Pursuit of Happiness
    • link love
    • magazines
    • Man Candy
    • movies
    • music
    • peek inside
    • Shopping
    • TV
    • would you rather

Wednesday, May 15, 2013

An Open Letter To Angelina Jolie

Dear Ms. Jolie:

Where do I even begin? I’m not quite sure, but there’s definitely one thing I want to make sure I don’t forget to tell you: THANK YOU. And yes, I meant to put that in caps on purpose. Because there’s really no better way to say it, and because, frankly, a thank you deserves to be said that way. When you think about it, just saying thank you pales in comparison to what you’ve done recently.

As I read your recent op-ed piece in The New York Times, I found myself almost cheering you on with each sentence. I kept thinking to myself, “Yes, right on, Angelina. You’ve got it.” You’ve captured what so many women are thinking and feeling, but you also gave a much-needed voice to the constant fear that comes with motherhood: Not being there for your children and not being able to watch them grow up. Your decision to have a preventative double mastectomy tugged at my heartstrings, as I’m sure it did with thousands of other women (and men).

“It is reassuring that they see nothing that makes them uncomfortable,” you wrote. “They can see my small scars and that’s it. Everything else is just Mommy, the same as she always was. And they know that I love them and will do anything to be with them as long as I can. On a personal note, I do not feel any less of a woman. I feel empowered that I made a strong choice that in no way diminishes my femininity.“

I can only imagine what it must be like as a mother to know that there’s a high probability your children will lose their mother much too soon. But as the child of someone who got cancer, I can tell you that someday, your children are going to come to you and say, “Thank you, Mom. Thank you for doing everything in your power to be here for us. Thank you for everything.” Your decision made me think about my own father and our family’s struggles when he was diagnosed with sinus cancer. The odds weren’t good. The chances of the cancer coming back even after chemo and radiation were more than 70 percent. Even now, 10 years after his suicide (which I’m 100 percent sure wouldn’t have happened if he hadn’t gotten cancer…), I wonder what our lives would be like if he were still here with us today. Would we be living a different life? What would my father be doing? Would he be proud of me? Thanks to you, your children will never be forced to wrestle with those sorts of questions.

So thank you, Ms. Jolie — thank you more than you’ll ever know. Like you said, you could have chosen to keep your experience private. Of course we all would have respected that. But instead, you chose to share your journey in the most beautiful way possible. You took control of your life. How selfless. How heroic. Thank you for taking a stand against cancer for women, mothers and children everywhere.

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • Email

4 Comments Filed Under: Breakup/Love Letters, family, Girl Crush, Inspiration, movies, Uncategorized


Warning: Use of undefined constant rand - assumed 'rand' (this will throw an Error in a future version of PHP) in /home/customer/www/melissablakeblog.com/public_html/wp-content/themes/melissa-blake/functions.php on line 179

Related Posts

  • Family Photos: So…does this make me legit?
  • The Best Revenge.The Best Revenge.
  • SUNDAY column: Those Were The DaysSUNDAY column: Those Were The Days
  • MEMO TO MEN: 3 disability questions I’m too scared to ask

Comments

  1. Lena at A Crimson Kiss says

    Wednesday, May 15, 2013 at 8:11 pm

    This is a beautiful post about an incredibly powerful editorial and choice.

    Reply
  2. Emmali Sellner says

    Wednesday, May 15, 2013 at 8:18 pm

    Just read the article, it is the most beautiful and inspiring thing that I've ever read.

    Reply
  3. Miss Caitlin S. says

    Thursday, May 16, 2013 at 6:57 am

    well said! I loved your take on this. It has been amazing to watch her grow with Brad, I must say (especially since I was 'Team Aniston" from the get-go!). But the seem to know what is good in life.

    Reply
  4. Alyx says

    Saturday, May 18, 2013 at 4:08 pm

    This is a lovely post. I have the utmost respect for Angelina Jolie and her decision to share her experience.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

So About What I Said is a daily blog that covers relationships, disabilities, lifestyle and pop culture. I love to laugh and have been known to overshare. I also have an unabashed obsession with pop music, polo shirts, and PEZ dispensers. Read more...

Let's Be Friends
Pinterest
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
Bloglovin
RSS

Contact Me
Subscribe by Email

About Us

dotted lineAbout Us
archive

Archives

So About What I Said © 2023 · Design by Maiedae · Development by High Note Designs

loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.