The actress’s announcement, widely dubbed the “Angelina effect,” spawned a surge in requests for genetic testing nationwide. About 15 percent of them have the BRCA 1 gene like Jolie Pitt but you're not likely to hear about them. Some 22,000 women are diagnosed each year with ovarian cancer in this country. For now, I’m doing my best to exercise and watch my diet, staying clear of the foods the Neanderthal in the house, my husband, eats even though his numbers are far better than mine. If there were a pill I could take or a surgery to undergo to swap out my genes, I’d do it in a heartbeat. But like Jolie Pitt, I’d like to meet my grandchildren one day, too. They’ve graduated college and are doing well.
