Designer rejects shame after breast cancer diagnosis

Designer Tanja Levý says she felt unexpected shame after being diagnosed with breast cancer at 36, mbl.is reported. At first, she wanted to hide, but soon decided to do the opposite.

“It was as if I should be ashamed and had done something wrong,” Levý said on the Dagmál programme. She said she still finds it hard to understand why she felt that way, but quickly realised she had no reason to be ashamed. She drew strength from other women of a similar age who had spoken publicly about their illnesses.

“I’m going to hold my head high,” Levý said. She decided to follow their example, hoping that sharing her experience might help someone else, as those women had helped her.

Before her treatment began, Levý made a mood board with ideas for her clothes and appearance that winter. She dressed up for treatment sessions, tried on wigs and sometimes went to lunch with her partner, Jökull Jónsson, afterwards. They tried to celebrate small victories and find something positive during a difficult period.

Levý and Jónsson run the design studio Studio Pluto together. They designed this year’s Pink Ribbon while Levý was undergoing cancer treatment. On Dagmál, they also discussed how they faced her illness together and how design helped them process the experience.