Suzan’s Story: Showing Up for Your Health Is Vital

— By Sarah Kriger Hwang, Marketing Director for Renaissance Theaterworks

October 21, 2024

Suzan Fete, Artistic Director of Renaissance Theaterworks (RTW) in Milwaukee, showed up for her routine mammogram for decades. After each exam, she always received a letter with the happy news, “We are pleased to inform you that the result of your recent exam shows no suspicious findings.”  

But in May 2024, the news was different. After Suzan’s mammogram prompted a follow-up ultrasound and biopsy, her healthcare team informed her she had breast cancer.

As a cardiovascular intensive care nurse in the early part of her career, Suzan was accustomed to explaining difficult medical diagnoses to patients. Her best friend had previously gone through breast cancer treatment. Even so, nothing prepared Suzan for the anxiety and shock of her own breast cancer diagnosis.

Adding to the stress of the situation, Suzan was scheduled to direct THE MOORS, the first RTW show of the 2024-2025 season. But Suzan would begin treatment in July, and rehearsals for THE MOORS were set to start in September. In the days following her diagnosis, she found herself dealing with a lot of unknowns. Would she be advised to give up her work in order to begin treatment? Would she need to ask another director to take over a project that was dear to her?

Enter Suzan’s healthcare team at UW-Health Cancer Center at ProHealth Care. Not only did caregivers have a plan to eradicate Suzan’s stage 1 cancer, they also felt confident that she could receive treatment and still direct THE MOORS. “Get a buddy,” they said. So, Suzan and her team at RTW hired a “Swing Director,” a “buddy” to back her up should her treatment require her to miss rehearsal. Additionally, they created a revised rehearsal schedule, enabling Suzan to go to her medical appointments and fulfill her work obligations.

Suzan’s healthcare team also eased some of her fear and uncertainty by laying out her treatment plan in detail and asking her to “just show up.” Doctors gave her an excellent prognosis and have been remarkably responsive in addressing side effects from Suzan’s chemotherapy.

“I have never been alone through this experience. My healthcare team, my family and my team at RTW have had my back from day one. I first learned about ABCD from a former RTW Board Member, and have since admired their mission of one-on-one emotional support for anyone impacted by breast cancer,” Suzan says. “Our partnership with ABCD strives to build awareness around the need for a community of support. That support has been vital for me getting through this difficult time.”

While Suzan’s journey has not been easy, it hasn’t been nearly as scary as she originally anticipated. She shares her story in hopes of encouraging other women to show up for routine mammograms so any abnormal findings can be detected as early as possible. “I also hope sharing my experience might make it less scary for others,” says Suzan.

Thank you to RTW for hosting ABCD Night on November 7, 2024, and to everyone who came out that evening to enjoy RTW’s performance of THE MOORS.

We’re grateful to RTW for partnering to bring awareness around the need to support anyone impacted by breast cancer and to Suzan for telling her story.