Angelina Jolie recalls late mom Marcheline's cancer battle on her 73rd birthday as she urges women to 'look after yourself'

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1970-01-01 08:00

Angelina Jolie called for early testing for breast cancer as she paid tribute to her late mom Marcheline Bertrand

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: In honor of World Ovarian Cancer Day, Angelina Jolie is encouraging women to maintain a healthy lifestyle. The 47-year-old actress and activist posted a vintage photo of herself and her mother Marcheline Bertrand to Instagram as she looked back on her mother's ten-year fight with ovarian and breast cancer before she died. In an early 1980s photo with her mother, who died in 2007, Jolie had blonder hair and was wearing a white summer dress and a beige straw hat.

The 47-year-old 'Maleficent' actress looks strikingly similar to her mother, who was also an actress. The mother-of-six, who was spotted departing Washington, DC, last week, penned a heartfelt caption. The former wife of Brad Pitt began the post by saying, "Tomorrow would have been my mother’s 73rd birthday."

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'I will be a month away from the age when she was diagnosed'

Jolie went on to say that Marcheline died fifteen years ago. The philanthropist added that it came "after a long struggle with breast and ovarian cancer." "In June, I will be a month away from the age when she was diagnosed," she remarked. The 'Those Who Wish Me Dead' star explained, "I have had preventive surgeries to try to lessen chances but I continue to have check ups." In 2013, Jolie had a double mastectomy to prevent breast cancer.

It was what is referred to as a prophylactic double mastectomy. That indicates that despite not having received a breast cancer diagnosis, she had both of her breasts removed. She claimed she took this action because she carries the BRCA1 gene, which significantly increases the risk of developing breast or ovarian cancer, Daily Mail reports.

Jolie continued expressing her mother's persona, "My mom loved 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."

Addressing other women, the 'Salt' actor stated, "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." After that, she added "#WOCD2023 #worldovariancancerday" to her bio and stated that there was more information there.

In an emotive piece for Time published in 2019, Jolie revealed her preventative measures in response to the grief of losing her mother to cancer. When asked why she chose to have a prophylactic double mastectomy and later to have her ovaries and fallopian tubes removed, Jolie stated, "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. My hope is to give as many years as I can to their lives, and to be here for them." The 'Maleficent' actress has six children with her ex-husband Brad Pitt - Maddox, 21, Pax, 19, Zahara, 18, Shiloh, 16, and twins Knox and Vivienne, who are 14 years old, People reports.

Who was Marcheline Bertrand?

Angelina Jolie's mother is Marcheline Bertrand. After her parents divorced, Jolie and her brother lived with their mother, who had given up her acting career to focus on raising her children. As a successful producer in addition to being an American actor, Bertrand had a successful career. Her birthday is May 9, 1950. In her early years, Bertrand studied acting with Lee Strasberg, reports Sportskeeda. She was married to actor Jon Voight. Unfortunately, she died on January 27, 2007.

In addition to appearing in several TV shows and movies, Bertrand also had a small part in the 1982 movie 'Lookin' to Get Out,' which was co-written by her ex-husband and starred him. Her last film appearance was in the 1983 romantic comedy 'The Man Who Loved Women.' Together with her then-partner Bill Day, Bertrand established Woods Road Productions in 1983 and shifted her attention to production. The 2005 documentary 'Trudell' received high praise and is among Bertrand's production credits.

'You inspire me a lot'

Fans took to the Instagram post's comment section to share their messages and love for the Academy Award Winner. One fan commented, "You inspire me a lot. I love you always." A second fan wrote, "We love you angelina." A third fan exclaimed, "Sending you love and light. As mother I can say, she must be benign with pride for all the good you have done for people around the world. Thank you for your beautiful heart. May all the good you have done transfers to endless blessings for your children." World Ovarian Cancer Day organization also commented, "Thank you so much for sharing this on #WOCD2023 - the more we share our stories and awareness, the closer we will get to #NoWomanLeftBehind." American film director, producer, and screenwriter Christopher Landon came along and commented, "She was such a beautiful woman, inside and out."

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