Top Chef alum Chef Shirley Chung shared insight into her journey fighting the cancer found inside her mouth and throat.
We are so happy to hear Chef Shirley‘s health is on the up and up.
Health check:
“Heyyyyy loves ❤️, small update on my cancer journey. Today, I had my G-Tube removed,” celebrated the Chinese-American Chef.
“Another step towards recovery ❤️🩹.”
“This G-tube first installed into me on last year September, during my second week of Radiation and Chemo treatments.” That was “when the inside of my mouth and throat were burnt.”
Food Network’s Tournament of Champions competitor elaborated on what she went through to get to this point. Shirley said It was so severe “that drinking water felt like rubbing salt on my raw flesh.”
“Medicine, water, nutritional shakes, were all fed through it for over 6 months. I am healing, and going to therapy to relearn how to swallow and speak,” explained the Top Chef New Orleans and Top Chef Charleston alum.
“Although I still have a small part of my tongue that’s bleeding, but I am well enough to consume meds, water and food through mouth the last 3 weeks.”
“Just came back from Cedars Sinai after a quick procedure, the small hole on my stomach will close in 3 to 5 days ☺️ I completed another chapter of cancer fighting journey ✌️🦄 Almost There!!”
ICYMI:
In mid-2024, Chef Shirley Chung shared her devastating cancer diagnosis.
Since last year December [2023], “I had a series of dental issues, I bit my tongue severely; I fractured my tooth and had to extract it and get an implant… we thought it was because I am a heavy teeth grinder. And I was too busy to see a EMT specialist.”
“The end of May, ulcers erupted in my mouth and my oral surgeon discovered a hidden tumor under my tongue. A few days later, I was diagnosed with stage 4 tongue cancer, as cancer cells also spread into my lymph nodes.”
If you’ve ever seen Chef Shirley in the kitchen, you know she’s a fighter. We have continued faith that she will continue to beat cancer.
