From “Top Chef’” Shirley Chung and comedian Christina Pazsitzky announcing their diagnoses to Erica Ash’s death from the disease, here is what’s happening in the oncology space this week.
Frontline Facts About Tongue Cancer
Shirley Chung, an alum of the reality cooking show, “Top Chef,” recently opened up about her stage 4 tongue cancer diagnosis. In an Instagram video showing her shaving her head, the chef explained that after experiencing multiple dental issues, a severe bite to the tongue and mouth ulcers — some of which she thought were caused by teeth grinding — she ultimately was diagnosed with stage 4 tongue cancer.
“A few days later, I was diagnosed, stage 4 tongue cancer, as cancer cells also spread into my lymph nodes,” the 47-year-old wrote. “I was very calm when doctors delivered the news, as a chef, I’ve always [thrived] under pressure.”
Chung explained that her treatment options included either the surgical removal of her tongue or radiation and chemotherapy — something that she said was given to a “unicorn case” of another chef.
“Higher survival rate, or keep my tongue?” she wrote. “I chose to keep my tongue, I am a fighter, I am a chef, I can be that unicorn too.”
Christina Pazsitzky, who hosts the “Your Mom’s House” podcast with her husband, fellow comedian Tom Segura, announced on the podcast that she received a breast cancer diagnosis.
“I have very, very early-stage breast cancer. Womp womp,” she said. “It’s totally treatable. The prognosis is very good. I will not die. This is not my last summer on earth. It’s highly treatable, I’m [going to] be fine.”
Pazsitzky, who is 48 years old, said that she does not want cancer to become her identity, nor does she want to “have to do the Instagram posts of me in a hospital gown with thumbs up and then ‘get your [mammograms] ladies.’” She also mentioned that “there’s nothing worse than people sending slogans or platitudes,” and instead she hopes people will send her something creative.
At age 75, Ina Jaffe, a longtime correspondent for NPR died of breast cancer. In 2021, she revealed that she had stage 4 metastatic breast cancer, which she had been “keeping a secret” for two years, she wrote in an essay.
For the past few years since, she has been open about living with cancer. Even when she announced her diagnosis, she had written about her experience matter-of-factly, just as she had for other news stories, according to NPR.
“Up to 30% of women with early-stage breast cancer progress to stage 4,” Jaffe had written in the essay. “I thought that you were more likely to get metastatic breast cancer if you'd been diagnosed with a more-advanced stage of breast cancer to begin with. Wrong again. It's not dependent on your stage at original diagnosis. I was stage 1B when I was first diagnosed in January 2012.”
Erica Ash, a comedian, actress, singer and model known for her roles on MadTV, “Survivor’s Remorse,” “The Big Gay Sketch Show” and “Real Husbands of Hollywood,” died of cancer, according to a family statement shared with NPR.
"After a long and courageous battle with cancer, she transitioned peacefully surrounded by her loved ones," the family statement said. "Erica was an amazing woman and talented entertainer who touched countless lives with her sharp wit, humor and genuine zest for life. Her memory will live eternally in our hearts."
Ash, who was 46 years old at the time of her death, died of metastatic breast cancer, according to the LA Times.
"Erica Ash was a light. Beautiful, funny, beyond talented," Christopher Landon, who directed Ash in the movie “We Have a Ghost,” wrote on X. "I was blessed to work with her and call her my friend. My heart goes out to her family and friends right now."
Jake Haener, a backup quarterback for the Saints, recently announced that he received a diagnosis of cancer. While he did not imply exactly what kind of cancer it is, he did say it was a skin cancer and was something rare for people his age according to ESPN.
The diagnosis came after Haener noticed what he called an “odd-looking bump” on his face that continued to grow. After the spot was biopsied, the football player was told that it was cancerous and will discuss treatment options with his clinicians.
"With these skin cancer things, if you wait, things spread, so I've just got to get it taken care of," Haener, who is 25 years old, said to ESPN. "But I want to take care of it and be responsible about it, obviously not make it a distraction because I'm going to be fine, everything's going to be taken care of."
Hailey Merkt, who was on season 21 of the reality show, “The Bachelor” died of leukemia.
Merkt’s death was announced via Instagram post. It read, “It is with broken hearts we share that our beloved Hailey has passed away after a courageous fight for her life. Hailey faced this journey with unimaginable strength, grace and selflessness.”
Merkt, who was 31 at the time of her death, was diagnosed with leukemia and underwent a stem cell transplant. In April, she announced that she was “leukemia-free.” However, the disease then came back and was “moving fast,” according to an update on her GoFundMe page.
“After the bone marrow transplant had taken, she was told she had nine months to not even think about cancer, but in truth, she only had six weeks before she got the terrible news that the leukemia cells were back and moving fast. Her first reaction was to say, ‘I don’t care about myself anymore, but I can’t bear being the cause of so much pain for the people I love.’”
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