Actress Angelina Jolie last week revealed in a New York Times op-ed piece that she underwent a preventive double mastectomy and reconstructive surgery. Jolie s mother, Marcheline Bertrand, died from ovarian cancer in 2007 at the age of 56.
Actress Angelina Jolie last week revealed in a New York Times op-ed piece that she underwent a preventive double mastectomy and reconstructive surgery. Jolie s mother, Marcheline Bertrand, died from ovarian cancer in 2007 at the age of 56. (Alistair Grant, WPA Pool/Getty Images)



But 25 years later, it would matter to me.

Because I didn't know that my grandmother's primary cancer had been located in her breast, when I found my own lump in 2005 when I was 39, insurance wouldn't pay for genetic testing right away. "You're so young!" the doctors at Kaiser Permanente said. "You have no family history!" And so I wouldn't find out until well after I'd already undergone the recommended lumpectomy, chemotherapy and radiation.

Had I known my grandmother had breast cancer, my doctors could have pushed for the genetic testing from the start. It was only later that an aggressive oncologist started to question the so-called "lung cancer" and pushed for the testing. While it was extremely unlikely that I would have either of the rare genes that would increase my cancer risk — and even less likely both genes — the information would have better informed my decision.







Of course, I was also lucky that genetic testing was even covered during any part of the process. For many women, it's not. The full test costs $3,000, an expensive undertaking, and that's after we had gotten past the mammogram, the ultrasound, the biopsies.




So now that headlines are blaring about someone as high-profile as Jolie not only openly talking about having breast cancer, but also gene mutations and prophylactic mastectomy and the many options — immediate reconstruction and sparing skin and nipples — it's possible that we've finally reached a point where we can start having the conversations about genetic testing before crucial decisions are made.

For every woman.

My chances of being able to pay for the treatment weren't nearly as good as Jolie's, but they were better than many. Insurance companies need to step up and give women all, not just some, of the information and options they need to be the healthiest they can be. While it's true that right now the two known genetic mutations are rare and most breast cancers are not caused by them, more mutations are being studied, and more will be identified. Women should never have to choose between putting food on the table and body parts.


Kyle Wagner ( is the travel editor of The Denver Post.