As an advocate for previvors and a friend to so many of them, I was beyond thrilled by Angelina Jolie’s announcement yesterday that she, too, is a previvor. Her candidness did so much for high risk women in just one day—people all over the world started learning about what it means to have a BRCA mutation as well as the options previvors face. She has educated so many and  has thrown this important issue directly into the spotlight.

While her decision to have a prophylactic mastectomy was very personal, I have somewhat of a sense of her thought process because the women in my book, Previvors, faced the same issues she faced. Especially since Angelina Jolie is a mother like they all are.

Here’s an idea of what she might have been thinking.