Breast cancer related information - Gendergap

14 May 2013

Hi

This news story is doing the rounds in the news but I don't know if
everyone has seen the original NY times op-ed by Angelina Jolie[1]. She
talks about her preemptive and precautionary double-mastectomy because she
found out she was at a higher risk for breast cancer after genetic
screening. I saw the news about this earlier but didn't read her op-ed
until now, it's helpful to see her perspective on this.

This might be a bit personal, but a relative passed away last year who had
breast cancer and the cancer had metastasized after a mastectomy and
several rounds of chemo. She was a mother of 3 and a fiercely strong woman
who faced it head-on, and even made preparation for her own death when the
doctors said there wasn't a lot to do near the end. Anyway, It occurred to
me, what her reaction or choice would have been in this case. I've also
seen this issue brought up again a few times among my friends and family,
it's a scary thought and a decision most women said they wouldn't want to
think about until they have to - but they all would have wanted more
information to make the most informed choice possible.

It is safe to say that most people today use Wikipedia as the front line of
information and resource for issues like these. Now, In Ms. Jolie's case
I'm sure this was a very personal decision but she prob. also had access to
the best medical resources and information about the risk and the tests. I
suppose with all the charities and promotion breast cancer awareness
already has - with marathons, television ads, and benefits - the true value
of a resource like Wikipedia might be under-utilized. Once someone hears
they are at risk or they should get tested, they most likely go to
Wikipedia before a doctor to read up about it.

Anyway, I wanted to do something in this regard. I suppose it's needless to
say that this is a bit personal for me. I have lurked on this list since it
was founded, and besides occasional interrupts, just observed. This seems
like a worthy issue to devote time to if anyone wants to join me. I still
can't think of a proper way to organize this - a wikiproject doesn't seem
right or if something like this already exists, but I'm not sure. I saw the
related articles about the subject, some of them need cleaning up and
revising the hard medical facts in to a coherent voice - generally
simplifying the language. I also wanted to see if I can organize things
better and put all the resources on a single page, with pictures and
templates on the articles to guide people directly to a centralized
resource point. I thought maybe more veteran editors here like Risker,
SlimVirgin or PeteF can give some advice on how to go about organizing the
information and making a start.

Kind regards
Theo

[1]http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/14/opinion/my-medical-choice.html<http:…