Born on March 12, 1897, in Lima, Peru, Suzanne came from a Peruvian family of Spanish descent, her mother was Zoila Cristina Quispe, a cultured Peruvian woman, and her father was Derek Sebastián Sanjur Gómez. Suzanne—known as "Suzan"—was not an only child, she had a twin sister named Cristina. The family moved to London in 1913. Cristina and Suzanne decided to work aboard the HMHS Britannic to help their family, who were facing financial difficulties, and they had to lie about their ages to secure the jobs.