Roxanne Shanté
Roxanne Shanté, the 1980s hip-hop star nicknamed the Queen of Rap, is a two-time breast cancer survivor. When Shanté first felt a lump in her breast, she thought it was a normal sign of aging. When a doctor noticed the lump during a routine checkup, however, she was referred to an oncologist and subsequently diagnosed with breast cancer in 2008. Throughout surgery, including a lumpectomy and partial mastectomy, and chemotherapy, she never lost her fearless attitude.
Now, Shanté shares her experience to uplift and encourage other survivors and is known to participate and lead various walks for breast cancer awareness month. In October, Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Shanté makes it a point to wear something pink every day to let people in the streets know she is representing life. She posts photos of her mastectomy “beauty marks” every year. “I don’t call them scars,” said Shanté in an interview with BET, “I call them beauty marks, because it is the beauty of surviving.”
