Angelina Jolie reveals daughters Zahara and Vivienne underwent surgery and she is 'proud' of them

‘Going through medical challenges and fighting to survive and heal is something to be proud of’
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Marissa Desantis10 March 2020

Angelina Jolie revealed that two of her daughters have undergone surgery over the last two months.

The 44-year-old actress took a moment on International Women’s Day to give an update on her daughters’ medical conditions and reflect on the needs of young girls everywhere.

In a piece she wrote for TIME, where Jolie serves as a contributing editor, the mother of six shared that her eldest daughter (Zahara, 15) had been “in and out of surgeries.”​

Vivienne Jolie-Pitt, Angelina Jolie, Zahara Jolie-Pitt, Shiloh Jolie-Pitt and Knox Jolie-Pitt (Photo by Tim P. Whitby/Getty Images)
Getty Images

While Jolie didn’t provide further details, she noted that her youngest daughter (Vivenne, 11) had also recently required hip surgery.

“They know that I am writing this, because I respect their privacy and we discussed it together and they encouraged me to write. They understand that going through medical challenges and fighting to survive and heal is something to be proud of,” she wrote.

Jolie, whose divorce from Brad Pitt was finalized in 2019, discussed watching her daughters care for each other. “Their brothers were there for them, supportive and sweet. But on this International Women’s Day, writing from the hospital, I find myself focusing on my daughters for a moment, and all that I have learned from them and other young girls I have met around the world.”

Angelina Jolie in 2019 (Photo by Ernesto S. Ruscio/Getty Images)
Getty Images

Jolie went on to share that when a stranger commented on how “naturally” caring for others comes to girls, it made her take pause and reflect on how that tendency is often misused.

“Little girls’ softness, their openness and instinct to nurture and help others, must be appreciated and not abused,” she explained. “We must do much more to protect them, in all societies: not only against the extreme ways girls’ rights are often violated, but also the more subtle injustices and attitudes that so often go unnoticed or excused.”

Earlier in her essay, Jolie wrote, “We all know that moment when no one else can help us, and all we can do is close our eyes and breathe. When only we can take the next step or breath through the pain, so we steady ourselves and do it."

Angelina Jolie, Knox Jolie-Pitt, Zahara Jolie-Pitt, Vivienne Jolie-Pitt and Shiloh Jolie-Pitt (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)
Getty Images

Jolie has undergone surgeries herself. In 2013, she announced in a New York Times op-ed that she had a preventive double mastectomy after learning she had an 87 percent risk of developing breast cancer. And in 2015, she wrote another op-ed for the Times, where she shared that she’d also had her ovaries and fallopian tubes removed after learning she had a 50 percent risk of developing ovarian cancer.

The Maleficent actress concluded with messages of hope and encouragement. “So my wish on this day is that we value girls. Care for them. And know that the stronger they grow, the healthier they will be and the more they will give back to their family and community,” she wrote.

“And my message to girls is, fight on, little ladies. Your care for each other will be a large part of your way forward. Hold your nerve. Know your rights. And never let anyone tell you that you are not precious and special and, above all, equal."

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