Top Chef Former student Shirley Chung is sharing some devastating health news with a heartbreaking video.
The 47-year-old renowned chef took to Instagram and shared that she had been diagnosed with stage 4 tongue cancer. Her post included a carousel post of her shaving her head. In the first video, Chung shared that for her mental health, it was better to shave her head than to pull out clumps of hair like she did earlier in the morning.
“Surprisingly, for me, shaving it off was mentally better than plucking it in the morning,” she shared.
Chung shared in her lengthy caption that her long list of health issues dates back to December.
“Since December last year, I have had a series of dental problems, biting my tongue severely; I cracked my tooth and had to have it extracted and an implant placed… we think it was because I grind my teeth too much. And I was too busy to see an EMT specialist,” Chung wrote. “In late May, ulcers appeared in my mouth and my oral surgeon discovered a tumor hidden under my tongue. A few days later, I was diagnosed with stage 4 tongue cancer as the cancer cells had also spread to my lymph nodes.”
Chung added that she was “very calm” when doctors delivered the devastating news, especially because as a chef she has “always thrived under pressure.”
But then came a June 2 appointment with her chief oncologist, who Chung said offered her two treatment plans — surgery and removal of 100 percent of her tongue or radiation and chemo that would potentially help save her tongue. It’s a long shot, she said, as it’s considered “a unicorn case” that was successfully performed at the University of Chicago.
Chung said he was told it was in Chicago where a patient, who also happened to be a chef, underwent the procedure and survived. Chung said he is choosing option two and will fight to keep his tongue intact.
“I choose to keep my tongue,” she wrote. “I am a fighter, I am a chef, I can be that unicorn too.”
Chung says she has completed six weeks of chemo with “a lot more to go.” She says she goes to the hospital four times a week for injections. The good news, she says, is that her tumor is shrinking and her speech is improving, “and I can eat most normal foods now.”
Chung competed on season 14 of Top Chef: Charleston. She was the runner-up after Brooke Williamson. She also appeared in season 11 of Top Chef: New Orleansfinishing tied for third. Chung has worked with renowned chefs José Andrés and Thomas Keller, among others. She opened her first restaurant in Culver City, California, in 2018. Chung has also appeared on Food Network’s Tournament of Champions.
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