The Power of Pooping

Susan Wong, RN, BSN

Susan Wong, RN, BSN, affectionately known as “Nurse Wong” and sometimes playfully nicknamed “The Rear Admiral” and “Butt Whisperer” by her colleagues, boasts over 40 years of dedicated nursing experience. A graduate of the UCSF School of Nursing, she has provided care in diverse settings at UCSF, including surgical, dialysis, and colorectal units. In 1999, she played a key role in the development of a pioneering UCSF colorectal clinic.

Nurse Wong’s ability to listen with empathy has earned her immense respect from her patients. She has shared her expertise at workshops across the United States, the Netherlands, and Great Britain, and has received numerous awards for her exceptional service and contributions to patient care, consistently ranking among the top providers at her medical center. In May 2020, she was featured in Smithsonian Magazine for an article discussing the use of bidets.

Driven by a desire to destigmatize conversations around digestive health, Nurse Wong, along with her son Julien, launched Butt Talks TV on YouTube in May 2020. This platform aims to educate a global audience on bowel health, demystifying a topic often considered taboo. Despite being in its early stages, Butt Talks TV has garnered a rapidly growing subscriber base and has ambitious plans for future expansion.

On a personal note, Nurse Wong’s journey in nursing was a significant cultural milestone; she was one of only five Chinese-American students in her 140-person nursing class at the time. After the passing of her husband in 2003, she raised her son, Julien, who is now an aspiring entrepreneur. Nurse Wong is a native Cantonese speaker, also fluent in French, and finds joy in cooking for loved ones, often using herbs from her San Francisco patio garden.

John Rietcheck, MA, AuD

John Rietcheck, MA, AuD, is a clinical audiologist with a Master’s degree from the University of Kansas and a Doctorate from Salus University’s College of Audiology. He recently retired from the San Francisco VA Health Care System, where he served for twenty-nine years in hearing healthcare. His extensive writing background includes experience as a reporter for the Red Rock News in Sedona, Arizona, and over twenty years editing newsletters for local nonprofit organizations in both Topeka, Kansas, and San Francisco, California.

John’s friendship with Susan Wong began through a mutual acquaintance. While their professional fields differed, their shared commitment to patient care in the healthcare arena forged a strong bond. When Susan and Julien invited him to write scripts for Butt Talks TV and later contribute to this book, it felt like a natural progression from his years of experience in various writing roles.

In his personal life, John is a talented singer and songwriter, having released two music albums featuring his original compositions. Now residing in northern Nevada, near Lake Tahoe, he enjoys cooking, reading, hiking, and playing disc golf.