Susan Danenberger was diagnosed with Stage I breast cancer at 48, and again at 50 with Stage IV metastatic breast cancer (MBC). A fifth-generation farmer and winemaker, she owns Danenberger Family Vineyards in Central Illinois. In this episode, Susan reads her essay, “Rosé-Colored Glasses,” from the 2025 Body issue of Wildfire Journal. Her piece draws us into a deeply personal story of body image, beauty, and transformation after breast cancer—one that begins with stilettos and selfies, and unfolds into a powerful journey of reckoning and rebuilding. April and Susan will talk about autonomy in the context of cancer, trusting (and questioning) medical providers, seeing yourself through the eyes of others, and financial toxicity. They also discuss how connecting with other survivors at New York Fashion Week changed Susan’s life.

More about episode sponsor Young Survival Coalition: https://youngsurvival.org/

Learn more about Susan:

https://www.instagram.com/stilettosinthevineyard/

https://danenbergerfamilyvineyards.com/

Purchase the Body issue of Wildfire Journal: https://www.wildfirecommunity.org/shop/p/print-body25

Buy the Wildfire book Igniting the Fire Within: Stories of Healing, Hope & Humor, Inside Today’s Young Breast Cancer Community: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BJVJ629F?ref_=pe_3052080_397514860

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Information on submitting your story for consideration to be published in Wildfire Journal: https://www.wildfirecommunity.org/submissions