Every day, a plethora of memes flood the internet, and it’s all too easy to like or share without acknowledging that real people are behind these photos.
Cancer survivor Leon Mitchell has taken to Instagram after a photo of him was turned into a meme based on his resemblance to basketball player Steve Curry.
The meme, titled “Meth Steve Curry” poked fun at Leon’s frail neck and shoulders, which are a direct result of his rare cancer called nasopharyngeal carcinoma, joking that the image was one of Steve Curry on methamphetamine.
However, in a recent Instagram post, Leon addressed the meme, and reminded people that images like these have a background story.
He wrote: “I’ve struggled deeply for years with the devastating effects cancer treatment plagued my body with. The massive destruction it took on my neck, shoulders, nose, throat, and ability to function normally”.
“I am more then a meme, I am a father, husband, survivor, mentor, community advocate, and Positive motivational speaker. Proud to have endured and conquered everything I have!”
Mitchell described how he felt when he stumbled upon the meme to Buzzfeed.
He explained that he found it “embarrassing, humiliating and a bit hurtful.”
He continued:
“I’ve struggled for years and still do from time to time with my outward physical appearance. I was confused as to how it even made its way onto the internet honestly”.
In a nice twist, Mitchell’s Instagram post has gone viral, with many agreeing that it shares an important message.
