UnBreasted

Some people say how you respond to trauma and adversity shows your true character. For many people, they won’t know their own capabilities or sense of certainty until they're faced with those life-defining moments.

These women are testament to what can happen when trauma, adversity and life-threatening medical conditions arise. When faced with cancer diagnosis or inherited cancer genes, these women chose - some unknowingly - to buck against societal norms and pave the way forward for future generations.

By being themselves and showing up with pride in their post-mastectomy body, these women are living examples of why surgeons and healthcare professionals must provide full and clear information about surgical options available at the time of mastectomy.

The conversations among surgeons, breast care nurses and their patients should be going something like this:

👂🏽“As your healthcare professional, I’m here to listen to you (the patient). I’m here to guide your decision making based on how you want your body to look, function and feel. My personal opinions are irrelevant. You must make the decision that is appropriate for your body.”

👂🏽“You want to go flat and not consider reconstruction? No problem. I’ve got you.”

👂🏽“You’re happy to live with one b**b? Sure thing. We can make that reality.”

👂🏽“Keen to reconstruct breasts with your own tissue or implants? No worries. Let’s talk about your options and here’s a list of pros and cons to consider.”

Our healthcare and medical professionals have an obligation to listen to their patients and ensure they are equipped with a long list of pros and cons about each option before deciding.

As stated by my friend and trailblazing changemaker Robyn Smith from Inherited Cancers Australia: “It doesn't matter what decision you make after a mastectomy (flat or reconstruction - both are valid options), as long as you are given information about ALL your post mastectomy options.”

This article appearing in Marie Claire Australia is a massive step forward for flat advocacy. Congratulations to these amazingly strong women and thank you to the editorial team at Marie Claire for representing all forms of female humanity.

Australian women who have had single or double mastectomy without reconstruction can connect with others at Flat Life Australia

This week I donated blood, as I do every 12 weeks. Shout out to Australian Red Cross Lifeblood at Maroochydore for always looking after me.

There are many reasons I give blood:

* My mum has chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) and this is one way I can help people (like her) living with blood cancer.
* I come from a long line of "helpers", so it's genetically programmed into me that I should do this if it can assist others.
* I’m a people-pleasing ISFJ personality type (characterized by traits such as warmth, responsibility, and a strong sense of duty towards others).
* After having cancer, I know what it’s like to feel helpless and be in a vulnerable position, asking for support from complete strangers.

It was heartening to see so many people register to donate blood following the recent tragedy at Bondi. Shining a spotlight on the importance of blood donation has been wonderful to see and I’m hopeful many of those generous people become regular donors.

❤️❤️❤️Australia needs over 1.7 million donations every year to meet demand: that's three donations every minute.
💉34% of blood donations help people with cancer and blood diseases.
🕐The donation itself takes less than 10 minutes, but you should allow up to an hour for the entire appointment.
🩸You can give blood every 12 weeks, and plasma donations every 2 weeks.

Become a bloody legend. Book your donation appointment today
https://www.donateblood.com.au/one-step-closer

📢🎤This week, I spoke publicly in front of a live crowd for the first time to share my breast cancer experience. My presentation was honest, didn’t gloss over the hard parts, and gave me an opportunity to talk about the physical, psychological and emotional impacts of breast cancer diagnosis, treatment and survivorship. You can read an excerpt from my presentation further below.

Talking at this work event was daunting because I don’t love public speaking but I'm incredibly glad I agreed to participate. This presentation gave me a reason to put on my big girl pants, be an example for others, and remind myself why I should be proud of the s**tshow which has led to important advocacy work and supporting others with lived experience.

I’d like to thank Louise Thompson, founder of Sunshine Coast Council's Women in Workforce Network, for inviting me to share my experience during breast cancer awareness month. Hopefully I scared the crap out of some of my Council colleagues, just enough so that they organise a mammogram or talk with the ladies in their life about the importance of breast screening. This was also an important opportunity to acknowledge my colleagues who have been there for me since my diagnosis in 2019.

Thank you also to Kelly Hart from BreastScreen Queensland for partnering with Council to place these breast screening promotional stickers on bathroom mirrors of Council-owned buildings, venues and holiday parks. This photo of me taken in my workplace bathroom is cringe, but I can't help taking pride in knowing these stickers may lead to someone’s early detection of breast cancer.

If you’re looking for an opportunity to donate to breast cancer support services, you can throw a few dollars towards my beautiful coworker Renee Currenti who next month is swimming 9km to fundraise for the National Breast Cancer Foundation https://fundraise.nbcf.org.au/fundraisers/reneecurrenti
📜Excerpt from presentation by Joanna Atzori 29/10/2025

I’m an example of why women need to take active steps to be breast aware and have regular screenings. Early detection is critical because the sooner you discover the presence of unseen or unknown cancer, the earlier you can begin treatment and the higher your chances of survival.

If I can convince you to act upon any advice this breast cancer awareness month, the call to action is to check your breasts and get to know your normal look and feel. If you’re concerned, don’t stick your head in the sand. Book a mammogram and ultrasound, or go to your GP and have a frank conversation about your anatomical body parts that need ongoing checks and surveillance.

If you’re under the age of 50 and your GP is telling you that you’re too young for breast screening, you need to get yourself a new GP. I’m not kidding. DO NOT accept their advice just because they’re a doctor in a position of authority. If their response is “you’re too young”, it is not good enough. You need to advocate for your health and find a doctor who listens to women when they talk about their health concerns, no matter their age.

If you’re scared of the mammogram process, take a friend or relative along with you and make a date out of it. Getting your b**bs squished could be more palatable when you’re not the only one having it done. You can find out more on the BreastScreen Queensland website https://www.breastscreen.qld.gov.au, or you can talk to your GP.

Every Australian woman aged 40 years and older is eligible for FREE screening through the national BreastScreen program. It takes around 30 minutes and it could save your life, like it did mine.