AntiFool with Norman Chella

My name is Norman Chella, and I'm on a mission to create the antidote to foolishness, so we can understand the world and ourselves better.My role is simple: I play the fool, I ask the questions, you get the answers. We'll have conversations crafted for the curious, the vulnerable, the human. I interview authors, scientists, entrepreneurs, creators, movers all across the board. Those with a powerful message, and there are those who have gone through a number of struggles, trials and tribulations. My interests range far and wide - we can go from tech in one episode to philanthropy in another, topics spanning across nations to concepts and predictions about the future. All of the macro and micro topics you can think of.Join my conversations with amazing people, and become all the more wiser.

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AntiFool with Norman Chella

Breast Cancer Screening w/ Leslie Ferris Yerger

September 30, 2020 • Norman Chella • Season 1 • Episode 20

Leslie Ferris Yerger is the Breast Cancer Survivor, empowering women to advocate for optimal screening. She is the AntiFool.

In this episode, we're going to talk about breast cancer.

Cancer cells tend to duplicate out of control and they've passed certain stages. They become incurable in that cancer cells start to spread across the body. And this is why we have screenings to detect these cancer cells beforehand so that we can eradicate them over time. For women, breast cancer is definitely worrying, and we have the mammogram as the standard procedure for detecting the respective cells.

What if it's not enough? What if that there are cancer cells that still exist within the body, despite the mammograms and receiving an all-clear? Taking a deep dive into this inaccuracy, who better to talk about breast cancer screening than Leslie Ferris Yerger.

Leslie is a TEDx speaker, author of Probably Benign and a women's advocate with a laser focused mission. Leslie was diagnosed with stage four breast cancer in November, 2017. After an all clear mammogram and ultrasound, experiencing firsthand, the failings of current breast cancer screening technologies. She is now determined to advance the next generation in breast cancer screening. So that her story does not become your story.

In this episode, we talk about:

Leslie's origin story, when and how that she received that call, that it was a lot worse than an all-clear
Flaws and limitations of a mammogram and ultrasound, and other procedures that help find these cancer cells
The lack of accessibility for effective methods throughout the US. Why are they not widespread?
The fears in women who do not take an extra step to find more cancer cells
'Cancer-free' and why Leslie thinks that that phrase is false

Enjoy!

For the full transcript, click here

Timestamps

4:45 Leslie's origin story: stage four breast cancer and getting the all-clear
9:54 The reason why screenings are not 100% effective
12:32 The alternative method: 3D Mammography
15:40 The main reasons why 3D Mammography is not mainstream
18:20 Money in the medical industry
21:36 The fear of not getting a mammogram
23:02 Mammogram is only the first step
24:18 Accessibility to 3D Mammography and other methods
25:30 The cost of cancer
26:51 How can we encourage more women to continue getting MBI?
30:30 The progress and the key to survival
33:49 Breast cancer is scary
35:24 1 in 8 women will get breast cancer in her lifetime
39:14 What does 'In whose life is probably benign good enough' mean?
46:23 Different processes with different people
47:25 Leslie's Memento
48:58 Leslie's Walkaway Wisdom
49:56 Bonus question: Leslie's interpretation of the scallop shell

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