Angelina Jolie… Beautiful and strong.

So I'm sure you've probably already heard that Angelina Jolie did a double mastectomy (surgically removing the breasts) recently to reduce her risk of getting breast cancer. She said her doctors estimated she had an 87% risk of breast cancer and a 50% risk of ovarian cancer. Angie's mum died at the age of 56 after nearly a decade of battling cancer.

Now, her chances of developing breast cancer have dropped from 87% to under 5%.

Angelina Jolie, right, in 2001 with her mother, Marcheline Bertrand, who died in 2007 at 56 after nearly a decade with cancer. [Source: Reuters]

What touched my heart was Brad Pitt's support and response about the matter:

"She could have stayed absolutely private about it and I don't think anyone would have been none the wiser with such good results. But it was really important to her to share the story and that others would understand it doesn't have to be a scary thing. In fact, it can be an empowering thing, and something that makes you stronger and us stronger."

Amazing souls those two.

Here are some interesting info about her pre and post surgery schedule that just goes to show how strong and dedicated she is to her family and work commitments:

-1. She started the process on Feb. 2nd
2.  Less than two weeks later, they took Vivienne and Knox to Los Angeles' Natural History Museum on Valentine's Day.
3. Two weeks later, she went in for the major removal surgery, which can take around 8 hours.
4. Less than a month of recovery later, she visited the Republic of Congo with U.K. Foreign Secretary William Hague! They visited with a rescue camp for women to raise awareness of war-zone rape. She had NO signs of pain or discomfort!
5. On Easter weekend, she took Maddox and Knox to get some art supplies in Santa Barbara.
6. A week later she was at the World Summit in New York on April 4th.
8 A few days later she was at the G8 Summit in London with Hague on April 11.
9. She then has her final reconstruction surgery with breast implants… just nine weeks after the initial surgery.

That schedule is INSANE for someone who isn't recovering from major surgery, let alone someone who is!