This Is Perimenopause - Flat Please and Make That a Double with Ellyn Winters Robinson

Flat Please and Make That a Double with Ellyn Winters Robinson

Explicit content warning

10/25/23 • 45 min

This Is Perimenopause

In today’s episode, we meet Ellyn, a crazy dame with a kind heart who has decided to turn breast cancer into a full time business. Ellyn is a wife, mother, marketing entrepreneur, mentor, advocate and, as of a year ago, a breast cancer survivor.
She is also the author of the bestselling book Flat Please Hold the Shame and co-creator of AskEllyn, the world's first conversational AI designed to support people with breast cancer.
Ellyn’s story has been featured in People Magazine, Globe and Mail, CTV and the Susan G Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.

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In this episode, we discuss:
1:59 - Ellyn’s Story
Learn about Ellyn’s breast cancer journey from diagnosis, through choosing a double mastectomy, going through both chemotherapy and radiation and deciding to remain flat.
7:03 - Flat Please and Hold the Shame
Ellyn shares the inspiration behind her book. She began journaling as a way to make sense of her own experiences, ultimately writing an article in the Globe and Mail that delved into the stigma surrounding mastectomies. Her article struck a chord with readers, leading Ellyn to write a book. Her goal was to not only share her personal story but also to help others by sharing resources she had discovered along the way; information she wished she had throughout her breast cancer journey.
12:01 - Remaining Flat
Ellyn opens up about the considerations that led to her decision to remain flat following her double mastectomy and sheds light on the fact that the choice to remain flat is not always presented as a viable option for women with breast cancer.
22:20 - The Importance of Self Advocacy
Ellyn offers valuable guidance on how to be a strong advocate for yourself. This includes understanding your rights regarding essential screenings and being informed about the density of your breast tissue.
27:36 - Ask Ellyn
Introducing AskEllyn, a groundbreaking conversational AI tool designed to be a resource for individuals on their breast cancer journey. She’s a web application that incorporates lived experiences and provides links and resources to further answer your questions. She aims to bridge the patient experience gap that currently exists in healthcare.
39:16 - The Photo Essay
Collaborating with photographer Hilary Gauld and Dense Breast Canada, Ellyn helped create "I Want You To Know", an inspiring photo essay that unveils the stories of survivors spanning across various ages, genders, and ethnic backgrounds.
43:06 - One Thing
Find out what Ellyn wants everyone to know about breast cancer.

What did you think of today's episode? We want to hear from you!

Previous Episode

Kate Ellis and Tumors Carol Baskin & Joe Exotic

Most of us would rather not think about breast cancer until we are forced to do so. Kate Ellis is on a mission to change that paradigm. Whether you have been impacted by breast cancer or not, you don't want to miss our raw and honest discussion about Kate’s breast cancer experience. Kate was diagnosed with breast cancer at age 42, at the height of the pandemic, and again at 43. She has undergone a single mastectomy, breast reconstruction, chemotherapy, forced menopause, plus an oophorectomy, and nipple reconstruction. Kate hopes to make some lemonade out of the lemons cancer has given her, and it is her biggest wish that people with breasts and chests get to know their bodies and advocate for themselves, even if they are “too young” for breast cancer.
Here are some other things we talked about in our conversation today and where you can find them in this episode.
2:55 - Kate’s Story
Kate takes us through her breast cancer journey from diagnosis to recovery.
6:38 - Personalized Medicine
Kate tells us about genomic testing and how there are various types of treatment based on your type of cancer.
7:44 - Slammed Into Menopause
It’s a different experience and comes with different challenges when younger women are forced into menopause because of a cancer diagnosis. Kate tells us about some of the options that were available to her based on her type of cancer to aid in dealing with symptoms.
12:27 - The Importance of Self-Advocacy
Kate emphasizes the importance of advocating for yourself when it comes to your treatment plan and overall health care. She believes her self-advocacy helped her get treatment sooner.
19:52 - Breast Cancer and Genetics
Is breast cancer genetic? Kate shares some statistics with us and talks about the concept of a false sense of security.
20:58 - Know Your Lemons
Get to know your body and do regular self-breast exams. Kate believes this can help you get diagnosed earlier. She recommends a great resource called Know Your Lemons, which aims to improve early detection of breast cancer worldwide.
22:04 - Size Doesn’t Matter
We discuss what it means to have dense breasts and what that means for your cancer risk. Kate recommends a website called Desnse Breast Canada to learn more about dense breast tissue.
27:48 - Breast Cancer, COVID, and Mental Health
Kate describes how breast cancer impacted her mental health and how that was further exacerbated because of COVID.
32:24 - Lumps Into LemonadeFollow Kate’s journey through her Instagram page. She tells us how talking publicly about her journey led her to a community where she has connected with women all over the world.
36:37 - Talking to Your Kids About Cancer
Kate gives us advice on how to talk to your kids about a cancer diagnosis. She recommends the book, Cancer Hates Kisses, which is helpful for kids between the ages of 4-8.
42:35 - The Best Gift
Find out why Kate named her tumors Carol Baskin & Joe Exotic.