Shirley Chung, a Top Chef alum, recently revealed in a heartfelt social media post that she is battling a rare form of cancer.
The season 14 runner-up shared this update with her followers after completing her first six weeks of chemotherapy, describing it as "a full-time job" due to the frequent hospital visits for injections.
Chung's diagnosis came after months of dental issues, including a fractured tooth needing extraction and implant, and multiple mouth ulcers. She was diagnosed with stage 4 tongue cancer, which had spread to her lymph nodes.
Tongue cancer is quite rare, constituting less than one percent of cancer diagnoses in the U.S., according to the Cleveland Clinic, although it is among the most common head and neck cancers.
"I remained calm when the doctors delivered the news; as a chef, I thrive under pressure," she wrote, sharing photos of herself and her supportive husband, Jimmy Lee, shaving their heads. However, as treatment discussions progressed, she "broke down, crying, trying to gather her thoughts and ask questions but physically couldn’t." The best surgical option involved completely removing her tongue, which had the highest survival rate. Still, inspired by a "unicorn case" of another chef cured with radiation and chemo, she chose to travel to Chicago to preserve her tongue.
"I chose to keep my tongue. I am a fighter, I am a chef, I can be that unicorn too," she resolved.
Despite many more weeks of chemotherapy ahead, Chung's tumor is shrinking, and her speech is improving. She is learning "to lean on others, to let go, to be more vulnerable."
"I am learning that it's okay not to be okay 100% of the time," she added, acknowledging the "tough long road to recovery" ahead and looking forward to "Shirley Chung 2.0" being "reborn in 2025!"