Cancer is a drag: Rising star Aang Xiety performs amid stage 4 diagnosis

Aang Xiety uses drag as a way to let his inner child play in a fantasy world of fairies and magic Photo by Xing Photo Studio courtesy of Aang Xiety CHULA VISTA You might think a jam-packed Pride season would cause stress for someone named Aang Xiety The up-and-coming drag performer rode last month on a float in the Tijuana Pride Parade produced shows on both sides of the margin and will be co-hosting a Comic-Con-themed show in San Diego this month But the myriad events were a joyful reprieve from the -year-old entertainer s cancer therapy The performances were the first time Aang took to the stage since having one-third of a lung along with a fast-growing -inch tumor removed in May Breathing is still a challenge but to Aang the struggle is worth it to be back serving looks onstage I know my family they re like Don t use your vitality But only I know how much it makes me feel good Aang mentioned Aang whose real name is Eduardo but who did not wish to be fully identified because various of his family is not aware of his LGBTQ identity uses all pronouns fluidly but for clarity in this article Aang suggested using only he him his Preferring to perform as a drag creature Aang is not tied to being a king or queen onstage A longtime fan of drag Aang declared it wasn t until an initial bout with cancer a malignant tumor in the left knee that performing became pivotal I had located myself Born in Mexico Aang had been living in San Diego off and on for a little over years when he was diagnosed with osteosarcoma in A bone tumor in his knee had grown debilitatingly large in part because of a delay in evaluation during the COVID- pandemic He returned to his small hometown in the Michoacan state of Mexico and spent the next year and half undergoing healing Ultimately surgery that shortened his leg was necessary along with chemotherapy The physical pain was brutal Aang declared but not as bad as the emotional pain he suffered being with his non-affirming family away from supportive friends and a welcoming life in San Diego I had identified myself I had tasted the freedom of being here he mentioned Having to go back to a place where you kind of have to shrink again it was so traumatic Watching RuPaul s Drag Race and other drag shows helped Aang cope despite negative comments from his conservative religious family I was shocked that even with what was going on especially my mom she just wouldn t open up Aang recalled I m pretty much dying and you re still like Oh I don t like that you watch those shows And I m like Mother I have no eyebrows A unique style When Aang recovered he had a newfound lease on life and was determined to find satisfaction and spread it Back in San Diego a cosplay hobby turned into gender-bending drag performances In the drag persona Aang Xiety emerged the name is a nod to the titular protagonist in Avatar The Last Airbender and a pun on an emotional state Onstage Aang mesmerizes audiences transforming into a sparkling fairy queen or a moss-bearded forest king Performances range from politically challenging to delightfully corny San Diego drag king Hans E Barr the persona of Rhyse Tamez praised Aang s unique form of drag Aang Xiety describes himself not as a drag queen or king but as a drag creature Photo by Xing Photo Studio courtesy Drag Forward LLC I really admire how Aang has from the beginning been unapologetically himself and showing up to the gigs with his own unique vision coming from his own heart and not trying to prescribe his performances to a RuPaul style or even what the local scene has to offer Barr stated Drag doesn t have to be one size fits all It really truly can look like anything Aang s signature performance is prancing around as a reindeer with wings while lip-syncing Colors of the Wind from his favorite Disney princess Pocahontas Whether animal or human Aang Xiety is inevitably fae Growing up Aang revealed he saw himself as a fairy A fantasy world with imaginary friends was often intruded upon by a reality where kids were bullies and his mother feared decorative gnomes were of the devil His drag persona is an outward expression of that inner child completely allowed to be free Aang explained I m this magical creature I feel I m paying back to my kid I m letting him play more because I think he would have liked to play a little more and he wasn t allowed to or he was maybe judged Aang stated A full and fulfilling life For the past two years life has been full for Aang He has been a popular entertainer in San Diego and Tijuana s multiple drag shows performing in both English and Spanish He worked at Sunnyboy Biscuit Company in Hillcrest spent hours volunteering and moved in with his boyfriend He even auditioned for a role on Drag Race M xico Then in February he ascertained out the cancer had returned and metastasized in his lungs When I thought I m dying it was also OK with me Aang mentioned I ve lived I ve met my idol I ve determined love I discovered good friends I ascertained drag But I don t think Aang is ready to go he added Aang is just starting I think Aang requirements more time Particular dreams have been deferred TV auditions were halted and greater part of Aang s performances were canceled His advocacy continued though In April Aang performed at Lip Sync for a Life a cancer benefit organized by Barr where he spoke about cancer and his fear that every performance will be his last And for the first time Aang didn t hide his disabilities using a cane to promotion his shorter leg and stopping to breathe with an oxygen inhaler in the middle of a number I honestly thought using the inhaler was scripted because it was just such an empowering moment but it wasn t Barr explained of his friend s performance That was just genuinely what he needed to do For a drag artist who trades in fantasy it was an intrusion Aang never demanded But taking the stage was too major The crowd went wild for it especially after already hearing his story Barr noted It was very empowering and very impactful I got chills and started to cry Days later doctors drained liters of fluid from Aang s lung and discovered the tumor had ballooned from inches to inches in two months Finding a purpose As wellbeing complications from his stage cancer pile up Aang is still accepting positive resilient He believes everything happens for a reason not in the sense that even the worst situations were ordained but in that he can find a purpose even in the darkest times Hans E Barr left and Aang Xiety hug after cancer benefit show Lip Sync for a Life on April at Number One Fifth Avenue Days later Aang had a tumor and nearly two gallons of fluid removed from his lung Photo by Verocity Productions courtesy Drag Forward LLC Amid these bleak circumstances Aang has improved his relationship with his family He noted he wasn t willing to conceal his true self the way he did the first time he sought their help during remedy I yearned to tell them This is me he revealed I was not willing to do that again I felt like I was betraying myself my own essence by hiding it to get help because I had no other choice Complicated conversations yielded better-than-expected outcomes Aang described his family about his drag career and that someday they would see him on TV He introduced them to his partner and wore the clothes and makeup he loves around them It feels great Aang disclosed adding that his family now knows who he is and what he s doing I feel this was the purpose of this second time getting the cancer Aang isn t sure what the future holds He is scheduled for surgery in August to remove a separate tumor from his left lung and a new scan manifested a pinprick of cancer cells have returned to his right lung But he intends to fight and perform for as long as he can If it s a journey I m down he declared But I m like let me have fun during it