In 2006 my beautiful, giant hearted, unquenchably optimistic
friend, Suzanne Whang, was diagnosed with breast cancer. Over the following five
years she kept her head high and her humor and spirits even higher as she went
through lumpectomies, radiation, chemo and a horrendous prognosis: stage 4 and six months to live.
But this was Suzanne, and she turned on her brightest, most captivating smile and beamed it towards the cancer. “I’m gonna kick your fucking ass,” she told it.
I did not learn about the dark times until they were a safe
distance behind her. The months she spent beaten, unable to leave her bed; the
relentless pain that drove her to search her house in a panic for a way to take
her own life.
I only saw the shining ray of awesomeness she chose to show- I had no idea just below my eye line, the tumors were tearing through her skin, testing every last atom of her resilience.
In Suzanne’s words she, “made cancer her bitch and fisted it
in the ass.”
She has been cancer free for FOUR years…
Thriving and exulted, Suzanne recently did a brave and glorious topless photo shoot of her body as it is now, even more beautiful because of the scars
that traverse it.
She posted one of these pictures along side an open apology to tit cancer on Facebook and was met with an outpouring of love, support, and gratitude.
People were inspired, hopeful, and per her usual, Suzanne was spreading joy and
laughter even around such a serious topic.
That is until Facebook took her photo down for being
*OBSCENE*
What. The. Fuck?
The only obscene thing about this story is the cancer itself,
and the only offensive thing is Facebook’s reaction.
Instead of turning away from Suzanne’s nipples, shouldn’t we
turn towards them?
What if someone wakes up tomorrow to learn she has stage 4
cancer and through her grief and fear remembers Suzanne and her nipples and
thinks, “I can do it too, I can make cancer my bitch.”
Suzanne’s nipples are beacons of hope; they are
proof that survival is possible. We should construct a monument, erect a
statue, name a city for them.
At the very least we should allow them to offer hope electronically via Facebook.
At the very least we should allow them to offer hope electronically via Facebook.
Suzanne Whang’s nipples, long may they live!
You can watch Suzanne tell her moving story here.
and why not follow her on twitter!
