The most fun I had this week might have been talking about breast cancer.
On the 'First Opinion Podcast' this week, I spoke with Justin Johnson (aka Justinsuperstar) and his mother, Randi. Justin recently released a documentary called "Mom & Dad's Nipple Factory," in which he chronicles how his conservative Midwestern parents ended up selling affordable prosthetic nipples to people who have undergone breast cancer treatment. I spoke with Justin and Randi about the documentary, how losing a nipple can change someone's self-perception, and what makes Randi and Brian Johnson's prosthetic nipples so special. "The nipple is very elusive," Randi told me. One problem with many other prosthetic nipples: They tend to fall off. Not ideal.
Randi and Justin hope that their documentary will reach oncologists, breast cancer patients (men and women alike — Justin modeled for a man's nipple prototype, though apparently they don't have very many male customers), and others.
It was a frank and very funny conversation, made possible by the warm relationship between Randi and Justin. And it reminded me that while First Opinion often chronicles the terrible and the miraculous, the section often lacks for humor. And I think that's a shame. As the podcast highlights, there is an awful lot of laughter in medicine, even in the darkest times.
I would love to feature more laughter both in the First Opinion column and on the podcast. So please, if you have a funny take on something in the life sciences, a comedic personal essay, or something else that might make readers — and me! — chuckle, whether lightly or darkly, reach out to me: first.opinion@statnews.com.
Recommendation of the week: "Bad Sisters" is back on Apple TV+. If you haven't watched the first season, I can't recommend it highly enough — it's an Irish dark comedy about five sisters, one of whose husband dies under suspicious circumstances. It's well-crafted and often hilarious, and the chemistry between the five sisters is crackling. (One is played by Sharon Hogan, whom I've loved since her appearance in "Catastrophe.")
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