Top Chef star Shirley Chung reveals Stage 4 tongue cancer diagnosis and shares hopes for miracle after turning down doctor’s advice for ‘100% removal’ of her tongue
Top Chef star Shirley Chung has announced on social media that she has been diagnosed with stage 4 tongue cancer.
The 47-year-old chef, who has appeared on Top Chef (season 11 finalist), Tournament of Champions and Top Chef: Amateurs, announced the news via social media on Friday.
She shared a video and several photos showing her shaving her hair in preparation for chemotherapy.
The chef also announced that Ms. Chi Cafe, the restaurant she opened in Culver City, California, in 2018, will close next month due to her treatment.
The video showed her taking two hard swipes to her head with the clippers, while joking about the way her head looked.
Top Chef star Shirley Chung has announced on social media that she has been diagnosed with stage 4 tongue cancer
The chef also announced that Ms. Chi Cafe, the restaurant she opened in Culver City, California, in 2018, will close next month due to her treatment
She is told, “You don’t have to smile, Shirley,” but she insists, “It’s automatic. Camera? I’m smiling.”
She adds, “Surprisingly, shaving it off felt better mentally than shaving it off in the morning,” adding, “It’s also kind of sexy.”
Chung also left a lengthy caption on Instagram explaining how she received her diagnosis.
‘Hiiiii darlings, I have some personal news to share with you. Since December of last year I have had a series of dental issues, I have bitten my tongue badly, I have broken my tooth and had to have it extracted and an implant put in… we thought it was because I grind my teeth badly,’ she began.
“And I was too busy to see an EMT specialist. In late May, sores broke out in my mouth and my oral surgeon discovered a hidden tumor under my tongue,” she said.
“A few days later I was diagnosed with stage 4 tongue cancer because the cancer cells had also spread to my lymph nodes,” she told her
“I was very calm when the doctors gave me the news. As a chef, I always thrive under pressure,” she admitted.
“I was really keen to get all the tests and scans done as quickly as possible so I could start the treatment plans,” she said.
She is told, “You don’t have to smile, Shirley,” but she insists, “It’s automatic. Camera? I’m smiling.”
She adds, “Surprisingly, shaving it off felt to my mind… it felt better than shaving it off in the morning,” adding, “It’s also kind of sexy.”
“And I was too busy to see an EMT specialist. In late May, sores developed in my mouth and my oral surgeon discovered a hidden tumor under my tongue,” she said
“I was very calm when the doctors gave me the news, as a chef I have always thrived under pressure,” she admitted
She continued that on Sunday, June 2, “Dr. Ho, my primary oncologist at Cedar Sinai, called to discuss treatment plans,” adding that she “broke down, cried, tried to gather her thoughts and ask questions, but physically couldn’t.”
‘All I heard was “option 1, surgery, 100% removal of your tongue”… Jimmy kept it together for both of us and asked if we had an option for me to keep my tongue and what the chances of survival were.’
She was told, “There’s another option, which is a unicorn case, at the University of Chicago. They cured a patient (a chef!) with radiation and chemo, but you have to go to Chicago.”
“Higher chance of survival, or keep my tongue? I chose to keep my tongue, I’m a fighter, I’m a chef, I can be that unicorn too,” she said.
“I just finished six weeks of chemo (with many more to come). I go to the hospital four times a week for injections. It’s almost a full-time job,” Chung insisted.
“My tumor is shrinking, my speech is much better, and I can now eat most normal foods. I’m learning to lean on others, to let go, to be more vulnerable,” she continued.
Chung admitted, “I’ve been thinking about telling my parents about my cancer for two weeks. Until now, only my closest friends and my sister knew.”
“I am learning, I can be strong 98% of the time, it is okay not to be okay. I have a long hard road to recovery ahead of me. Your love and support will get me through. Cheer me on, Shirley Chung 2.0 will be reborn in 2025!” she concluded.
She continued that on Sunday, June 2, “Dr. Ho, my primary oncologist at Cedar Sinai, called to discuss treatment plans,” adding that she “broke down, cried, tried to gather her thoughts and ask questions, but physically couldn’t.”
She was told, “There’s another option, which is a unicorn case, at the University of Chicago. They cured a patient (a chef!) with radiation and chemo, but you have to go to Chicago.”
She also shared a post via her Ms. Chi Cafe announcing that the restaurant will be closing next week so she can focus on treatment.
“In light of Chief Shirley’s diagnosis, we have made the difficult decision to close Ms. Chi so she can focus on her recovery. Ms. Chi’s last day will be Sunday, August 4th,” the post began.
“We are incredibly grateful to each and every one of you—our staff, supporters, and fans. We have truly enjoyed spreading the dumpling love these past few years and calling Culver City our home!” the post continued.
‘Please come by, say hi, and enjoy our menu before we close. We are still open for regular hours until August 4th! August 14th and 15th are the last days for @goldbelly orders, so now is the time to stock up. This is a temporary pause on orders, and we will be back!’ they continued.
“Stay tuned to this account and @chfshirleychung for more updates. More dumplings to come!” the post ended.