I will add that breast cancer runs very heavily in my family. My sister has had two mastectomies and four occurrences of breast cancer. My mother has had two occurrences of breast cancer, one mastsctomy, one lumpectomy. I took care of my sister after her first mastectomy. I know how severely and permanently impaired my two workaholic relatives are. Angelina Jolie may be less impaired than my relatives because she might not have had lymph nodes removed. But this is major surgery and she is really downplaying that.<p>My sister likes to garden. She used to dig in the red Georgia clay with a pick axe. These days, she can't even vacuum. Her arms are prone to swelling. She does not have the strength she once had. Her life is far more limited than it once was. For years, my mother owned two pathetic, falling apart bras. Anything new with the eladtic still working made her arm numb and caused it to swell. She cannot tolerate anything snug, so she also wears a hugely oversized one piece bathing suit. They carry on and are not complainers. But the reality is they are both very seriously and permanently impaired.<p>Having seen what my relatives have been through, I understand why Angelina would make such a radical choice. I have done some rather extreme things as well for health reasons. But I am disturbed by the way this is being glossed over. I hope she remains satisfied with her choice. But with her fame and beauty and social influence, I think she is being negligent and irresponsible to make light of the consequences of this surgery. It may be a perfectly reasonable thing to do, but it is not without consequence.