Celebrities Who Won't Back Down

By Corine Gatti

U.N. Goodwill Ambassador Angelina Jolie announced that she underwent a double mastectomy after she tested positive for the gene linked to breast and ovarian cancer. Her mother Marcheline Bertrand died in 2007 at the age of 56 after battling ovarian cancer.

The mother of six wanted to eliminate the threat of leaving her kids behind. “We often speak of ‘Mommy's mommy,’ and I find myself trying to explain the illness that took her away from us,” the 37-year-old actress wrote in the New York Times. But Jolie is not the only celebrity taking a strong stance against disease. Here are five more courageous women who won’t back down when their health was threatened.