The Angelina Jolie surgeon who performed Jolie's preventive double mastectomy is now sharing more details behind the decision and the calculated timing of going public, Los Angeles magazine reported on Aug. 16 in a preview of an upcoming feature article.
The Angelina Jolie surgeon, Dr. Kristi Funk, will be featured on the cover of the magazine’s September issue as she discusses why some women, like Jolie, opt to have prophylactic surgery in an effort to help prevent breast cancer or ovarian cancer.
The Jolie surgeon runs a Beverly Hills clinic called Pink Lotus Breast Center, which has made advocating for women’s health a primary focus. Topics discussed in the Jolie surgeon article include BRCA1, the so-called breast cancer gene, faith, fear and getting women needed health care services.
Surgeon Kristi Funk performed the prophylactic double mastectomy on Angelina Jolie last February. Jolie chose to keep her surgery a secret from the public until the right timing both personally and professionally, the Jolie surgeon said.
It wasn’t until May 14 that Angelina Jolie revealed her double mastectomy, by writing an op-ed piece about it in the New York Times.
According to EOnline, Jolie has inspired countless women with her decision to take steps to reduce her risk of breast cancer and ovarian cancer.
Angelina Jolie faced an increased risk of cancer because of her family history. Jolie's mother, Marcheline Bertrand, dies of ovarian cancer in 2007 at the age of 56, and one of Jolie’s aunts died of breast cancer. And then Jolie learned that she has the BRCA gene, which also increases the risk of breast cancer and ovarian cancer.
In the Los Angeles magazine interview, the Angelina Jolie surgeon also touches on how breasts can be intimately tied to a woman’s identity. “Breasts are symbolic,” Funk says, which makes a procedure like this all the more difficult.
