Surviving Ovarian Cancer: A Tale of Courage, Care and Entrepreneurship

Can you imagine launching a new business and simultaneously battling ovarian cancer? That's the reality for Lynn, the remarkable woman behind the inspiring Infinity Med Spa in Glastonbury. This isn't your average spa – it's a sanctuary where clients don't just receive skincare services, they also learn life-altering information about health and wellness. This episode shares Lynn's journey of managing her business while combating a life-threatening disease, and how it transformed her perspective on life and her approach to her work.

Our guest, Lynn, brings a unique perspective to skincare, taking an oncology skin care class to better serve those undergoing chemotherapy. Her courageous battle with ovarian cancer has altered not just her life but the heart of her business, turning it into a platform to raise awareness about the disease. At Infinity Med Spa, you will find an environment filled with warmth, compassion, and valuable information that goes beyond skin deep. Tune in for an episode filled with emotion, strength, and an unwavering spirit that will inspire you to join the fight against ovarian cancer.

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

Every year, 22,000 women get diagnosed with ovarian cancer and 14,000 women die from it. To put it in another startling way, one in 78 women are diagnosed with ovarian cancer. My own grandmother was one of those women and last year one of my closest friends was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. Thankfully, she is here today, stronger than ever and cancer-free and ready to share her story. My goodness, so you start. So you know, I'll kind of start the explanation here. You decided to open a business it's Infinity Med Spa, glastonbury and you guys jumped right in and it was a lot of. It was learned as you go.

Speaker 2: 0:43

You had all the technical expertise, you already knew how to do the job, but then now it's a business that you're responsible for, and then, right in the beginning, essentially it was yeah, so I left my job, we signed the paperwork the least here, the first of August, and three weeks later we didn't even have to build out done yet and I got the diagnosis and I was like, okay, I'll just forge through, and I think in a lot of ways it was a blessing, so it allowed me to focus on building this while going through everything that I was going through.

Speaker 1: 1:16

Yeah, absolutely. I mean it's a. You know, I'm sure it was a. Obviously it's a no brainer. There was a lot of work. It wasn't a lot going on, but probably also great distraction in some ways too that you were able to and to be able to. You know your life was probably came to a standstill in so many ways and became all about cancer, and so to be able to say, okay, it's not about my cancer right now, it's about taking out a beautiful. You know, I'm obsessed with this three o'clock in the morning.

Speaker 1: 1:46

So, I found this at three in the morning.

Speaker 2: 1:48

I love it.

Speaker 1: 1:49

I love it. I love insomnia. There's perks to it, yes, but it also so. Your diagnosis in the midst of building this business also changed a little bit about how you envisioned this space. So talk a little bit about that, if you would I will.

Speaker 2: 2:09

So originally it was. You know I'm a provider and I've always been a provider and I love. I have the best job in the world and I tell everybody that. I mean I make people smile all day long and it's what more could you ask for? But you go into it and I have this certain you know we're going to go to the spa and we're going to be successful. And as we go through it, all your, your priorities, your perspectives change a little bit. So everybody wants to be successful. But my main goal now is part of what I feel so blessed is that I get to speak with so many people, men and women, about ovarian cancer. I get to share my story, make more people aware while making them feel good and during this process.

Speaker 2: 2:48

I know you talked to Suzanne earlier about skin care in the summer and I used to love going out, but I can tell you this year I was like no, I don't want chemo again, so let's not get skin cancer on top of everything else. So it makes you realize not only is you know your appearance is important, but it is your health. So your skin is your largest organ. We need to protect it, keep it safe because it protects us and during this time. So I also took an oncology skin care class to learn how to treat and help women going through chemotery and men, because your skin can get very fragile and it can break down.

Speaker 2: 3:24

I was fortunate that mine didn't, because I've always taken such good care of my skin that I started in very healthy. So my perspective now in life and everything is, of course, I want to pay my bills, but I look at things very differently now. You know, I appreciate the day, I appreciate the time and the one on one with my patients and getting to talk with them and getting to know them. Life is so valuable and your life can change in a minute. Yeah, absolutely. We don't know what's going to happen, what tomorrow will bring.

Speaker 1: 3:56

It's so, so true. And you know, I think people who go through things like this, through you, know just earth shaking experiences that change your whole perspective on life. I think those are the you know in the weirdest way I guess it's going to sound weird to say, but they are the luckiest people on earth because they learn the value of a moment, they learn the value of time and in all of those things and you've taken it, you know, wonderfully a step further and not only do you realize that for yourself and your own life, you're spreading that to other people and I think that is, you know, such a treasure and such a gift to be giving people. And not only do you give that to your friends, we benefit from it. You know, as her friends, this incredible spirit and energy that Lynn brings to literally everything that she does.

Speaker 1: 4:47

I have a little bit of a goofball, just you know you're like a, you know a thousand watt light bulb in a dark room. You know it's just like it's fantastic, it's so awesome, and you know it's something that comes from within and I, you know we all see it and stranger see it, and the people that come through this door here for their treatments and they could be having who knows what they have going on right. They maybe have some type of scary diagnosis going on in their life. They may just be having a bad day. They may just simply be afraid about a procedure they're about to have. So when you get to come into a space that is so warm and compassionate and caring, I think it's. I think that's what sets Infinity Med Spa apart from everywhere else.

Speaker 2: 5:39

Well, that was our goal. So, being of a provider background, working for a business, it was about business and that's listen. I know, at the end of the day, there's a business in here and there has to be, but it is about the patient and so no longer am I booked so solidly that I don't have the time to talk with people that I can't be even compassionate and listen and do exactly what they're looking for. I will guide everybody in what I think you should do, but at the end of the day, it's what are your needs, what are your wants, and not that pushy, you know, and that you need to buy this and you need to do this because you need to be comfortable in what you're doing and you need to be happy in your skin, but you have to do it at your pace, right? You know?

Speaker 2: 6:22

There's a song, so I was thinking about when you were saying about how I live my life. So there's that song that says I hope you get a chance to live like you were dying, and I have been blessed with that. I get to live like I'm dying because you don't know what tomorrow will bring. So it makes everyday so valuable.

Speaker 1: 6:40

Absolutely, absolutely, and it's you know, all of this I'm this is probably gonna go down. I've done a lot of interviews this is gonna go down as probably my favorite because there's, you know, it's obviously it's because it's for the friend and it's for a mission, and you know, as we said early on, September is ovarian cancer awareness month and you know we want that to be a year round thing, of course, that this is not just one month and we forget about it. But this is a great start and a really important start and I really hope that the message that people watching or listening get from this is that you know there is hope here. There is hope and we have living proof of it right here, and you're also going to be and I know the details are still kind of in the works, but you're also gonna be paying it forward really in a very big way. There is a walk coming up at the end of the month.

Speaker 2: 7:38

So the National Organization for Cancer or ovarian cancer, coalescent, is doing a virtual walk, a walk. It's all online so you can donate there. I'm not I don't have all the specifics yet but I am trying to organize from Infinity Med Spa, september 30th, do a walk, and it's more of a social thing. So just trying to raise awareness and, of course, money to help find cures, because it hasn't been very high in the total fall for the research and there needs to be a lot more research to help find cures for ovarian cancer because there's so many different types, right, and we have the means to do it. So we just have to get the word out there, raise some funds and just be more proactive.

Speaker 1: 8:21

I love it and we'll be putting more information on that as the month progresses and we'll make sure you have links and all of those things to get involved if you choose to. We would love that, and, lynn, to close out, is there anything that you would like for the viewers or the listeners to really what's the most important thing for them to walk away with from this?

Speaker 2: 8:45

I think the most important thing is please, if your body's trying to tell you something, listen to your body, don't be afraid. Learn the signs and symptoms of ovarian cancer. For any woman who has ovaries, it's a war at risk. Listen to your bodies, talk about it and just forge forward and advocate for yourself. You may not know the terminology I did but you can say listen, something is not right here. I need you to listen to me. We need to go further. I need you to look at this and just live your life the fullest, because we don't know what tomorrow brings. Absolutely just be kind.

Speaker 1: 9:26

I love that. Yes, kindness, more kindness, please, missing so much of that right now. And this is a great start, an incredible start and a really important message. Lynn, I can't thank you enough for sharing your story and this information, because one person hears this and it drives it home to them and their life has changed for the better. They're like the saved.

Speaker 2: 9:54

Yeah, and the more we talk about it, the more lives we're going to save, absolutely.

Speaker 1: 9:58

Yep, so that is the goal, guys. Thank you so much. Thank you, guys, for watching. We will have stuff again throughout the whole month. We'll be sharing information with you. We will share Infinity Med Spa of Glastonbury with you and keep watching. We're going to have some fun behind the scenes stuff for this great, great place. It is not just a spa, it is so much more and you'll be much better off if you come check it out. So thanks for watching.