Angelina Jolie remembers mother who died of cancer, urges women to 'take care of themselves'

Angelina Jolie is urging women to stay healthy on World Ovarian Cancer Day.

On May 8, the 47-year-old actress and humanitarian shared an old photo of herself and her mother on Instagram, reflecting on her mother's decades-long battle with breast and ovarian cancer before her death.

On May 8, the 47-year-old actress and humanitarian activist shared an old photo of her and her mother on Instagram.

"Tomorrow would have been my mother's 73rd birthday. She passed away 15 years ago after a long battle with breast and ovarian cancer. I am a month away from being diagnosed. I have had preventative surgeries to try to reduce my risk, but I continue to have checkups," Angelina Jolie wrote.

Jolie continued: "Sending my love to those who have lost loved ones and strength to those who are battling cancer at this time. To all the other women, please take the time to take care of yourself and get a mammogram, blood test or ultrasound, especially if you have a family history of cancer."

In 2019, Angelina Jolie wrote an emotional article in Time about her preventative procedures after the tragedy of losing her mother to cancer.

"I simply felt I had made a choice to improve my chances of being here to see my children grow up and meet my grandchildren," Jolie wrote of her decision to undergo a preventive mastectomy and subsequent removal of her ovaries and fallopian tubes. "My hope is to spend as many years as possible in my children's lives and be here for them."

The Maleficent actress is the mother of six children with her ex-husband Brad Pitt: Maddox (21 years old), Pax Thien (19 years old), Zahara (18 years old), Shiloh (16 years old), and 14-year-old twins Knox and Vivienne.

Actress Angelina Jolie has 6 children

"I've lived more than a decade without my mother. She's only seen a few of her grandchildren and is often too ill to play with them," Jolie said at the time. "My mother has been battling this disease for a decade. My grandmother died in her 40s. I hope the choices I've made have allowed me to live a little longer."

Jolie's mother died of breast and ovarian cancer in 2007 at the age of 56. She also lost her aunt to the disease in 2013. That same year Jolie decided to have a double mastectomy - a decision she made after genetic tests revealed she carried the mutated BRCA1 gene that made her more likely to develop breast cancer.

Two years later, ovarian cancer forced the Oscar-winning actress to have her ovaries and fallopian tubes removed.

"People ask me how I feel about my scars," Jolie said. "I think their scars remind me of what I've overcome. They're part of what makes each of us unique. That diversity is one of the most beautiful things about human existence."

However, Angelina Jolie also added that "the most painful scars are often invisible. They are the scars of the mind."

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