The Menopausal Warrior Queen and her brave King Edward

The Menopausal Warrior Queen or MWQ is the sassy yet cranky alter-ego of Tana Suter. When she was diagnosed with estrogen receptive, node positive breast cancer at age 54, she was a senior manager for a human resource consulting firm in the Washington, D.C. metro area that supported Federal clients.

Tana’s fast-paced professional life shifted dramatically when she underwent a mastectomy and DIEP flap surgical procedure in September 2006 followed by eight chemo treatments over four months.  In January 2007 her company terminated her because she was still too weak to commit to a 40-hour+ work schedule.  Radiation wrapped up her active treatment in March 2007.

Initially she created the Menopausal Warrior Queen for email updates to family and friends so they could follow her progress through diagnosis and treatment without being frightened to death.  Tana continued to write and as her skills improved, MWQ’s fan club grew and the two are now inseparable!

Tana returned to full-time work in July 2007 as an internal human resources consultant for an organization with a saner, much less frenetic pace.  Her insights and MWQ’s personal journals are captured in the book The Menopausal Warrior Queen Slays the Evil Breast Cancer (working title). A humor-laced romp through the mine field of illness and recovery, it is an everywoman story about overcoming the unexpected and learning how to create a new life context. The book will be published and available for purchase via a future link on this site.

Tana continues her literary exploration of aging and its’ impact on professional women, especially the “aha” moments that remind us of who we really are.   A mom to three grown children and Nana Tana to two grandsons, she lives in the picturesque foothills of Virginia with her husband, Ed, the love of her life.