FLAT is where it's at (Stephanie Astalos-Jones)

Ellen and her husband travel the world. Her excellent Croatian surgeon was Prof. Dr. Zdenko Stanec in Zagreb. One thing we didn't discuss, but Ellen mentioned later, was that her drains were taken out the next day. Dr. Stanec believes Americans leave the drains in way too long and risk infection.

Here she is in Cameron Highlands, Malaysia.

And in Pai, Thailand, hanging with the elephants

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In Pai Canyon, Pai, Thailand

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And here she is in Hanoi,Vietnam on Train Street

Stephanie graduated from CSUCI with a bachelors in communication, emphasis in health. She enjoys singing and spreading the word that flat is a positive choice.

You can pop over and say hey to her on Instagram @_steph_12 

Here she is at graduation.

Here she is in what she calls "those Halcyon days".

And here's a lovely photo of her, scars and all, taken by isavisuals.

(*EDIT: Since this episode was recorded, Dr. Robertson has moved to Arkansas to work with a cancer institute there. You can find her most recent interview here on November 22, 2020.) Recently Dr. Rogsbert Phillips-Reed was honored by the Southern Christian Leadership Conference as one of the "Women: Rising Up to Lift Up a New Generation". Fellow honorees were Hilary Clinton, U.S. Rep. Lucy McBath, Mary Liuzzo Lilleboe, and Rose Jackson Flenorl.  Dr. Phillips-Reed is a prominent Atlanta breast surgeon and founder of Sisters by Choice, an organization which provides breast cancer services and resources for uninsured and underserved women. Sisters by Choice says they provide over 1,000 free mammograms and breast exams to uninsured, unemployed and homeless women annually as well as free educational seminars, workshops and health fairs for promoting breast cancer awareness. 

Dr. Phillips-Reed and Dr. Yara Robertson head Metro Surgical Associates with offices in Lithonia and Atlanta. They are the angels who saved me by giving me the flat chest I asked for. You can follow them on Instagram, finding Dr. Robertson @dryararobertson and Dr. Phillips-Reed @dr_zel3626. Their business can be found @breastcare_metrosurgical.

You can find their webpage here

Here is the lovely Dr. Robertson.

And here is the lovely Dr. Phillips-Reed.

And here is just a sampling of the awards in Dr. Phillips' office.

Mimi founded Linkage Beauty Movment which you can explore here

Christine Klein is a German ex-pat living in Ireland. She is an author, a social worker, and a single mom. She offers a different view of cancer. She has previously published a book called, "You've cat to be kitten me". Here's a link to how to get it. She is currently writing, "C-EIZE THE LIGHT, BREAST CANCER AND SPIRITUALITY- AN INNER JOURNEY."

You can read more from her here.

Here are pics of her and her lovely daughter.

Shay's steamy video can be found here.

 

Shay founded SSPW in 2011, after seeing firsthand the void in services for young women.  Even though Shay had no family history of breast cancer, she was diagnosed with Stage III ER/PR+ breast cancer at age 26. Needless to say, Shay was often the youngest person in the waiting room, during her oncology visits. One week before her 27th birthday, Shay had her cancer tumors, lymph nodes and both breasts removed.

 

Over the years, Shay has endured multiple cancer scares, surgeries, complications, broken bones, scans, hundreds of doctor appointments, thousands of pills, and every side effect under the sun, only to be told exactly 10 years later, at age 36, her breast cancer had returned. (Keep in mind that she already had her breasts removed, so that ends the argument that women can’t get breast cancer again, after a bilateral mastectomy.) In the media, we often hear them pushing the age 40 when it comes to breast cancer, but if Shay hadn’t found her own lump on both occasions, chances are she wouldn’t have lived to see age 40. 

 

Shay, Shay’s photos and her selfless philanthropic contributions, have been featured on/in countless publications around the world, including The Today Show, Huffington Post, UK’s Barcroft Media, Allure Magazine and People.com to name a few. Shay also sits on the board for the Young Womens Breast Cancer Initiative at Johns Hopkins Hospital.

 

Be sure to follow Shay Sharpe’s Pink Wishes on Instagram and visit their website via www.ShaySharpesPinkWishes.org , to donate, read about past wish recipients, volunteer or catch up on upcoming events.

 

And here are some great pics of Shay:

 

 

 

Sharon is a fifth grade teacher. She has two beautiful children (pictured below) and is a community activist. Here are a couple pics of Sharon. 

Yes, this is the one I took along to the conference last October.

And here she is with her kids.

Here are a couple bras Evangelina altered. The animal print bra shows the flat side foam lining cut out & the jersey fabric sewed flat. You can pinch the fabric to be flat, then sew it up & trim the extra.
The blue lace bra shows how you can use safety pins to make the cup flat; you can then sew it & trim the excess fabric or just leave safety pins in place.

This photo shows Evangelina Bustamante, age 24, in 1970 at a Chicana conference-the topics addressed sexism within civil rights movements & ways to take leadership roles in movements.

The hat lover found this Todd & Olivia beauty in a consignment shop!

Rocki Adams is a tic toker, Instagramer, visual artist, birder, and jewelry artisan. Oh, yeah, and she's also flat.

Here she is birding with her husband, and that's one of her favorite birds, the American Kestrel.

Here are some of her drawings.

And some of her metal work which can be purchased at her etsy shop, here

You can find her on Instagram @livingflatoutloud

Tiktok- rocki.flatoutloud

If you've seen the Dove Body Wash commercial featuring a flattie,  you've seen Juliet! That's her! She is a flat activist and advocate. To find the blog she spoke about, you can find it here To see an inspiring video about her appearance in the Dove commercial, you can find it  here

Here are some great pics of Juliet. Photos 1 and 2 are by Sue Lacey. The third is a selfie.

In this episode, we talk to Kimberly Bowles about flat closure. More info can be found at flatclosurenow.org and www.notputtingonashirt.org

This episode explains the premise of the show and asks listeners for input for future topics and also offers listeners a chance to be interviewed. 

Mika is a tenth grade English teacher in New York City. She has survived breast cancer and Covid 19. She lives with her wife, Tiff. Here are some lovely pics of Mika.

Mika and Tiff

Mika showing some of her cool fashion finds.

And a cool triptych

You can find Renee on Instagram at both @reneeridgeley and @lessthantwobreasts. She is on the board of the Dr. Susan Love Foundation and works tirelessly to promote informed consent and shared decision-making. 

Here are some fun pics of Renee.

Here we are together at Regina Rosewater's F*ckCancer event in October.

Another great pic from that night:

And a great pic of her and her husband:

Shondi is a hair stylist who had to deal with the surprise of finding out her hair would not return after she finished her chemo treatment. She has taken her share of surprises and has rolled with the punches, rising to the occasion, and finding her peace. You can find her on Instagram and FB as both hair_by_shondi and as sitting_with_shondi. You can also visit her website

Tina Martel is an artist, art professor, and flattie. She had a heck of a journey getting here. She and her husband collaborated to create a beautiful book about her first surgery and cancer experience which left her with a lumpectomy. You can find it here

She is now working on a book about the second part of her journey which left her flat. You can follow her on Instagram @tina_martel and also @not_in_the_pink_

Here are some pics of Tina.

Here's the infamous trash bag shot.

Zoe made the decision to have a prophylactic mastectomy when faced with the genetic odds that breast cancer would eventually come to her. 

Davina had a gut feeling that guided her along her path and it's a good thing she listened. She is healthy and flat today and is a buyer for a scanner company. (Link to Fuck Cancer is below)

And here's the link to Regina's Fuck Cancer Kick Back and Jam

To quote from the back of her book, "The biggest triumph of Flat is how it carefully upends the breast cancer narrative in smart, surprising ways...Sharp, funny, and thought-provoking."  Mike Scalise

In this episode, we visit with the author of this sharp, funny book. A book you can find here. https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781510732919

We talk with Jenny Lundstrom who is a wonderful Special Ed teacher and a happy flattie.

This is a little show, just to remember our dear sister. It gets a little sexually specific and to the point, because Rebecca was all about being honest, frank, and talking coochie health. It is with much love and an abundance of gratitude that I thank her for her energy and love and I thank those that contributed to putting this show together. Here are the pics she sent me when I did my interview with her.

"

And here is the illustration drawn by Marie-Claude Belzile. In French there is a saying, "Il pleut des cordes", meaning "it's raining ropes." Marie-Claude commented, "When it's raining ropes, we climb to the sky." This touched Rebecca deeply and she asked if she could keep the image. 

Dr. Simran Malhotra is a palliative care doctor, the daughter of a 2 time breast cancer survivor, enthusiastic healthy cuisine chef, mother of 2, and about to undergo a prophylactic mastectomy with aesthetic flat closure. You can follow her on Instagram @drsimran.malhotra and also @honestlywholistic . She is on FB as Simran Malhotra Gregoire and Honestly Wholistic. The books she recommended in the interview were How Not To Die by Dr. Michael Greger and Breasts: The Owner's Manual by Dr. Kristi Funk.  Here are some pics. One of her, one of her and her Mom, one of one of her delicious dishes.

Dr. Alexea Gaffney is a triple-board certified Infectious Disease sub-specialist, Internist, and Pediatrician.  You can learn more about her here.

You can follow her on Instagram @dralexea.

Here some pics of Dr. Alexea.

Tripp is the founder of @thecancerpreneur on Instagram. She sells wonderful t-shirts and mugs that promote breast cancer awareness and she is a very passionate community activist. Check her products out on Instagram. You can also find the cancerpreneur on Facebook.

Here are some pics of Tripp and one lovely one of her and her partner.

Michelle is also known on-line as Mitsuko Mi-Ga. She has a Masters in Psychology, runs an elder care center, draws, writes, and enjoys biking (or triking now) and, yes, is a flattie. You can find her masks here.

And you can find her book about trans children here.

Here is a pic of her on her trike.

Here she is dressed for the luau they had at her senior center.

Here are two pictures she illustrated.

Sondra Price is the creator of BS Breast Cancer on Twitter. She is also a web designer, painter, mother of 3, and one of the founders of Flat Closure Now.

Suzie works hard to save and rehabilitate wildlife. You can learn more about her work at Primarily Possums on FB

If you'd like to send her a little money to help pay for food and supplies, you can send money to paypal.me/degrasse

Or you can write her at suzannedegrasse@gmail.com

Nationwide, you can get emergency help for animals at ahnow.org

Here are some pics of Suzie and her critters. Here is the little guy with a head injury.

Here's a bunny she saved.

Here's Suzi and her kitty.

And here's an armadillo.

And here's the video I made while walking through the beautiful Georgia State Botanical Gardens.

Leslie is just days out from her surgery. She says she wore this hat throughout her journey and considered her surgery "demoday".  You can follow her video journal on Instagram @mbcjourney (Note: Leslie uses mbc to mean "my breast cancer" not metastatic breast cancer.)

She says she finds peace in meditation and flowers (and looks like art, as well).

Here she is in her hospital bed.

And here she is with her husband.

Allow me to introduce the ladies to you. Here is Fia and the beautiful tattoo she spoke about. 

And here she is with her daughter and pony.

Here is Matilda the day she allowed her children to help cut her hair off.

And here she is with no hair. Still beautiful.

And here is Maria. In her story, she tells how she got her first glimpse of her post-surgery self in the elevator. Here is that moment. 

And here she is, flat and free.

And here is Hanna with her ladies.

You can hear Hanna's songs on Spotify here.

You can also find them here.

You can find Angelica on Instagram @trippelnegativ

And you can find their group, in Swedish, on Instagram @plattnormen

And you can find Hanna's ladies on Instagram @cyklopenserdig

Cynthia Jordan is a breast cancer survivor and founder of LearnLookLocate, which you can find here.  

You can find @learnlooklocate on Instagram and also on Pintrest

She spoke about how great Imerman Angels is at offering cancer support. You can find them here.

Here's a pic of Cynthia:

And here's the turtle I helped across the road.......I know, right?!

Meet Rocio Rodriguez, college credit analyzer, Mom, Covid-time home teacher, and flattie. Here are some lovely photos of her.

Here she is with her darling daughter, Zoe.

Here she is practicing her meditation in a beautiful spot that has now, tragically, been destroyed by the fire.

And here's a gorgeous shot of her. 

Jessica was a delight to visit. You can find her blog here

Here are some lovely pics of Jessica:

And here is the video of where I recorded the opening segment. And a couple pics:

Comeshia Williams is an educator, mother, and breast cancer survivor. Here she is with her family. Willie lll, Comeshia, Gerald, and Willie.

I start this episode with an impassioned plea to my flat sisters. After that, we meet 22 year survivor and brilliant artist and my best pal, Marcia Connolly.

Here is her picture, Spring.

Here is Summer. Notice the birds on her lap and her shoulder.

Here is Fall. See the songs coming out of the bird's beaks? There is one singing on the roof of the building in the background, too.

And, Where She Steps, She Makes the Grass Grow

And, still a work in progress, the Bob Whites. He's singing to his love and the letters are backwards because he's singing to her, not paying attention to us. And the woman way in the background is hearing the song.

And finally, me and my pal.

Courtney loves dogs, painting, and being a free spirit. Here is a pic of her at work.

And here's a great shot of her chest.

Here's another great shot of her. 

And here's one of her paintings.

Now here are some links to some wonderful Qi Gong practices.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g-jSBBwr8Ko&t=9s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3K-0JpiJu-o&t=45s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nmmNWj9YtAw

Tameika is a happily flat teaching assistant, singer, hiker, and all over giving soul. Here's a pic of her and her hubby at Thanksgiving.

And with her girls at Thanksgiving.

And here she is singing in church.

Here she is on a hike with friends the day before her surgery.

This is a celebratory episode. I'm gonna add enough text here to bury the photos deep enough so maybe they won't be right out on top and freak anybody out. This episode marks the end to the first year of my journey. I had a LOT of fun creating an audio graphic novel (or novelette) for you. It's a love letter to you all, my sisters. Ok, maybe this is enough text for me to start showing pics. First one is the way I looked in the first week after surgery. WTF? I've not seen anyone with so much black-purple bruising. Crazy.

This was a bit later. Bruising starting to go.

And here's how he was content to leave me. Look flat to you?

NOW, how Metro Surgical Associates left me in the first week.

And how I looked after a few weeks of healing.

And here's me now.

Mina is a financial counselor, salsa dancer, work out coach, and meditation enthusiast who lives in Toronto, Ontario. You can find her on Instagram @fitgirlrichgirl.

Here she is enjoying one of her many fabulous dresses.

And here she is on the beach in Mexico.

And here is the link to the doctor/teacher Mina spoke about. 

Samantha Vale is a dancer and choreographer who lives in London. You can check out her blog at boobless.org

Her dynamic pics are taken by Amy Cassidy . You can see more of her work at her page

Here are some pics of Sam.

Beth Messler does so much for so many. Here are some pics:

Here is Beth.

Here is Beth's tattoo.

Beth and her wife, Nitza

Here she is with her sister-in-law, Tricia. For some reason, the computer really wants this picture sideways!! Sorry!

Beth and her granddaughter, Lyla.

Christy Avila is one of the co-founders of International FLAT Day and she hosts the fb group Fierce, Flat, Forward. You can find International FLAT Day's website here.

You can find an exceptional brochure there called Flat is Beautiful. It gives lots of great information and you can print one out for yourself there. You can also follow @fierceflatforward on Instagram.

Here are some pics of Christy. Here she is on the first International FLAT Day.

Melissa experienced BII and helps to spread the word about the harm implants can do. She is a coach, a blogger, a writer, a mom, and she can survive in the woods. (photo credit for her episode portrait: Charise Isis) 

You can find her blog here.

And you can schedule a coaching session with her here.

Here's a pic of her and her family.

Here she is sharpening her survivalist skills.

Here is a boudoir photo, courtesy of Charise Isis.

And here's a photo of what a lovely job her surgeon did.

And here's a link to one of the qigong videos I like where tapping is used.

Born in a refugee camp, surviving a childhood filled with domestic violence, and facing breast cancer has forged Chandra into one caring, sensitive, beautiful human being. 

And here is the link to Fuck Cancer Kickback and Jam

Quiara Escobar is a poet, teacher, artist, and visionary. Here are some pics of Q and her art. 

And here is the QR code that will lead to AFC info.

In this episode we meet Denise Stein who went along with her doctors and tried implants, but found nothing but pain and illness.

Kim talked about the private group on FB, Mepitel Film For Mastectomy- Support. 

You simply need to ask to join. She just wants to make sure you are not a provider. All folks interested in learning more about it are welcome. Much of what else Kim talked about can be found at her site Not Putting On A Shirt.

She also specifically named Flat and Fabulous, Breastless and Beautiful, Fabulously Flat, and Fierce, Flat, Forward (for explanters). I'd also add Flatties Unite and My Flat Friends.

Now, here are some lovely pics of Kim. Here's one from the Cosmo article taken by Stephanie Strasburg.

And here's one taken by Charise Isis for the Grace Project.

Katie P. Fink is an activist and flat advocate. She is one of the founders of flatclosurenow.org 

She runs Moon Studios Photography

And here's what you've been waiting for.....pics of Katie!

Googly eyes

Freezing her ---- off....

And, of course, Elf on a Shelf!

 And one that says it all....

During the interview, Katie explained how Melanie Testa was the first woman she saw with a flat chest and that Melanie was happy and confident and was a supportive pal to her during her procedure. Melanie is an artist. Here she is getting prepared to be a genderless golden fae.

As you listen to Lita's interview, yes, near the end you will hear a change in the audio. Technical glitch!! It won't interfere with your enjoyment of the episode. Just know it's in the recording, not your device. 

NOW, meet Lita Hall, a musician, artist, writer, performer, and survivor. Here are some pics of some of her clay work. 

And here's a pic of some of her jewelry.

Here is some of her contact info.

And here is the Black History zoom event in which she performs. She appears at 36:33 mins in. Use the passcode Black_History1 Here is a link

Amy has gone through her cancer journey as a single mom, facing chemo and tribulations alone. She adopted two children and has been there for them as she faced her many trials. Here are some pics of her and her family. Below is a link to Regina Rosewater's Fuck Cancer Kickback and Jam.

Here is Amy.

Here she is with her daughter, Libby, and her son, Christian, at his 8th grade graduation.

Here is Libby with doggies Bella, Noel Marie, and Milk.

And here is the link to the performance in LA on November 10th. Event will run from 1:00 to 6:00.

Rocio is a reiki master, healer, love of crystals, mother of 5, and flattie. If you have an old underwire bra you'd like to pass on to Rocio as a craft supply for her to use, contact me at flatiswhere@gmail.com or find Rocio del Pino Marin on fb and private message her for her address.

Here is a pic of Rocio:

And a look at her wonderful sense of humor:

And here are some examples of her wonderful bra wire dream catchers.

And, as promised, here's the link if you are interested in signing up for the Palm Springs Flat Retreat in October.

Dara talks about her challenges in dealing with breast cancer and about the difference in black, brown, and non-brown ladies in treatment. She deals with lymphedema and practices a rigorous yoga and exercise routine. You can find her on Instagram @damnit_dara.

Here are some pics of Dara.

26:50 Shemariah Pradia is a Navy veteran, foodie, and flattie. You can find her on Instagram @shemmaljayash. Here are some pics.

Here's her tattoo.

And here's a delicious plate of fried snapper , white rice, and pickled onions she prepared. 

The one BIG outrageous thing that is said to us that I did not re-visit in this episode is "I left a little in case you change your mind." That is the supreme insult many of us have received from our surgeons. Every day some woman is left with a misshapen, saggy, bumpy chest because some surgeon thinks he's doing her a favor by NOT listening to her request to be flat.

Thanks for visiting! As always you can find me on instagram as flatiswhereitsat. I realized I didn't even say who I am in this episode. I'm Stephanie Astalos-Jones. :) 

 Here is Beatrice Compagnon, creator of the app, Booby Trap.

 And here is Liv Kizewski

Regina Rosewater is the founder of a flat-friendly, fun celebration that will have its debut in L.A. on November 10th. For more info you can go to: thisismsrosewater.com

You can see her video here

Melissa Jansen has many different projects rolling all at the same time. She was only free to reveal a few. Here is her website

Here are some of her more explicit pics.

Born in Nigeria, living in Germany, investigative journalist Ruona Meyer chose to keep her cancer a secret while under-going treatment. Listen to the reasons for her secrecy and the joyous freedom that came after.

Dr. Yara Robertson is half the team who performed my revision surgery. I will always be grateful to her for her part in my healing. She is making a big move, so I wanted to update everyone on where she is going. You now will find her in association with CARTI cancer institute in Little Rock, Arkansas. She cannot give out specifics of where she will be yet, but you can keep up with her on Instagram @dryararobertson.

She has taken up running. Here's a pic of her in action.

Dr. Yara is also a cancer patient. She has had surgery for kidney cancer and is thriving and continuing in her work to help others.

Here is a collection of pics from the event. Before that, though, here is a little video tour of the event space. People were scurrying around, finishing up all the last minute details. C'mon, take a tour.

Also, in the podcast I interview Ernie, the lady who makes the candles. Well, after we finished the recording, THEN she tells me she's Ms. Rosewater's Mama!

First event of the day was Yoga with Steph.

Then yours truly played 7 different characters. Here are 3 of them:

Next, Mars Rodriguez knocked us out with her passion and flair.

Meanwhile....

Crystal Rapture offered beautiful gem stones and minerals.

And folks from the Flat Retreat were there with t-shirts for sale.

And Ms. Rosewater presented a lot of her art.

You can see more of her art in the "tour" video above. She also made a  jenga of positive support words.

Back inside, Speed of Light was playing....

And after Speed of Light played, Ms. Rosewater took the stage and moved us all with her power and honesty.

And many, many friends met for the first time and shared a multitude of hugs. Thank you again for all your work, Ms. Rosewater.

Melanie Testa is an amazing artist, activist, and flat advocate. Here is a link to her website where you can see some of her beautiful art, buy her book, and get to know more about her.

This is from a Play Out underwear ad. Photo credit: Nomi Ellenson

This is the Grace Project nude Melly spoke about. Photo credit: Charise Isis

Here's an article from the NY Post. Credit: Bethany Kandel

This is from a high fashion photo shoot called PerfektUNPerfekt that they did in Berlin Germany. Uta Melle and Esther Haase created the shoot. Photo credit: Esther Haase

I am re-releasing this episode, originally aired September 2019. As we continue to remember Rebecca, thought folks would like to hear from her again. ❤️

Despite the many physical challenges Rebecca deals with, she shares a plethora of photos that prove that flat does not equal less sexy. Here are just a few. And see below for a link to FUCK CANCER kick back and jam.

Also, here is a link to the FUCK CANCER kick back and jam event.