[Update: I wrote this in October of 2014. It’s been 3 years, and I’m still doing great. Thanks to all of you who continue to check up on me and wish me well!]
It was February 5th, my mother’s birthday and a month before the 20th anniversary of my becoming vegan. I was sitting in a breast surgeon’s office in a paper gown, cradling my biopsied breast and waiting. After about an hour and a half, my surgeon finally appeared, apologizing for keeping me waiting because the results had only just come in. He took a deep breath and said, “You don’t have cancer.” I thought, “I didn’t think I did.” Unfortunately, as I would later find out, we both were wrong.
He went on to explain that the biopsy found abnormal cells, officially called ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), but often referred to as Stage 0 or pre-cancer. While I was still reeling from the word “carcinoma,” he explained that these cells might become cancer, so they had to be treated like cancer. My options were a lumpectomy with radiation or a mastectomy. I asked whether there was any chance that the pathology report could be wrong, and my doctor said no.
I was stunned. I left in a daze and went over to my husband’s office nearby to give him the news.
Three months before, a routine mammogram had spotted a place that looked different from my last mammogram. I was sent to the Breast Health Center for another mam and then an ultrasound to get a closer look. The spot was so small and deep inside the breast that the ultrasound technician couldn’t find it at all, so I was given an appointment to return in three months. At that three month mammogram, the “spot” was clearly visible even to me as a glowing white circle in a sea of black and gray. A ultrasound-guided biopsy was scheduled for early the next week.
I’d had one of these biopsies four years ago, and that spot had turned out to be nothing but a harmless cyst, so I had been expecting the same results this time. Like most women, I didn’t think “The Big C” could happen to me. But because I was a vegan, I think I was even more positive that I couldn’t have cancer. After all, wasn’t I doing everything the vegan doctors tell us to do to protect ourselves from heart disease and cancer? Low-fat, lots of green and cruciferous vegetables and brightly colored fruit? No animal products? Moreover, no one in my family had ever had cancer. I naively thought I was immune.
So I didn’t really believe the pathology report, and I became even more skeptical when I read an article that said that DCIS is sometimes misdiagnosed. I decided to get a second opinion from one of the doctors mentioned in that article, a pathologist specializing in breast cancer in San Francisco. I had the hospital send him my biopsy slides, and a week later, I had a consultation with him on the phone. He was unable to confirm DCIS or rule out actual cancer because the radiologist who had performed the biopsy had noted that he had actually missed the “mass.” The biopsy needle had gone in front of the suspected tumor and gathered cells from there, just a few that looked abnormal. But until the actual mass was tested, the pathology specialist couldn’t rule out either DCIS or invasive cancer. He suggested I get another, more accurate, biopsy called a stereotactic biopsy, and I asked my doctor to schedule it.
I had high hopes that this second biopsy would show no DCIS and no cancer. Those hopes were shot down when my new medical oncologist called to give me the results: I had a small invasive cancer, Stage 1, that showed signs of being aggressive. She recommended surgery within the next 3-4 weeks. Just to be sure, I had the slides sent to the pathologist in San Francisco, who agreed with her diagnosis.
So I did what any logical person would do: I took a vacation. It was Spring Break, and my husband and I had planned a 5-day trip to take our high school junior (now senior) to visit 6 colleges in the Midwest. We wanted to do it while we could because we knew that after the surgery, I would need 6 ½ weeks of daily radiation treatments and might not be able to get away during the summer. The trip was a great distraction, but as soon as we got home, I made an appointment with the surgeon and scheduled my lumpectomy for the following week.
The surgery went perfectly. The surgeon removed the tumor and the area around it, as well as three lymph nodes which tested negative: the cancer had not spread to them. A week later, I returned to the surgeon’s office for more good news: The final pathology report showed that the “margins” or edges of the material he had removed were clean, meaning that all of the targeted cancer cells had probably been removed. The only worrisome thing to my husband and me were some figures in the report that seemed a little scary, particularly a “grade” of 3, meaning the cancer was aggressive. My surgeon was unconcerned, and my oncologist said that she would order a genetic test called Oncotype DX to more conclusively determine my chances of having the cancer recur.
A few weeks went by as I recovered from the surgery and waited for the results of the Oncotype test. I was expecting to start radiation soon when my medical oncologist called with the test results. They indicated that I was at a moderately high risk of recurrence. She was recommending that I have chemo.
This was the first time the other Big C word had been mentioned, and for some reason, “chemotherapy” scared me more than “cancer.” The oncologist explained that the type of chemo she was recommending was “well-tolerated” and without all of the serious long-term consequences of other treatments. I wasn’t convinced, and I began frantically researching the chemo itself and alternatives to it.
I was in a panic. On the one hand, I’ve always believed in fighting disease with nutrition and had always been opposed to taking any medication if it could be avoided. On the other hand, hadn’t I been doing just that for the past 20 years? My oncologist was telling me that chemo could reduce my risk of having the cancer recur and spread, that preventing it now would be much easier than trying to stop if it spread to my other organs. I went back and forth, one day deciding that chemo was just too dangerous and the next deciding that I didn’t want to take the risk of the cancer coming back. I was, frankly, a mess. I couldn’t sleep or eat for worrying about the chemo. I finally decided to get a second opinion from a highly recommended breast cancer oncologist at the University Medical Center.
My second opinion doctor came back with the same recommendation as the first: Have the chemo. She assured me that I was young (me!) and healthy and I could handle it. And it would cut my chance of recurrence in half.
My husband was very careful to stand back and let me make the decision for myself, but I knew that he hoped that I would have the chemo. And I was afraid that if I didn’t have it, I would be anxious for the rest of my life, afraid that I hadn’t done everything I possibly could to prevent a recurrence. I’d read the stories of people who had fought their cancer with diet and lifestyle choices, but those people weren’t already eating a whole foods, plant-based diet like I was.
So I decided to do the chemo, four rounds, three weeks apart. I read everything I could find about the treatments and armed myself with supplements that could help prevent side effects. And I found out my oncologist was right: the treatments, though no fun, we’re not as bad as I’d feared. My side effects were minimal, the most annoying being a bad taste in my mouth that would come and go and made it difficult to create new recipes.
Just after my initial diagnosis, I’d begun getting up at 5:30 every morning and walking with my husband and our dog. During chemo, and later radiation, I considered it a point of honor that I never missed a walk. On the weekends, my family and I tried to get out of the house and do a little hiking or local sightseeing so that I wouldn’t feel like the treatment was making me isolated. I ate lots of fruits and vegetables to support my immune system and was careful to avoid coming into contact with people who were sick, and I sailed through my summer of chemo without so much as a sniffle.
When chemo ended, I was determined to take a family vacation before I had to start radiation therapy, so at the beginning of August, we spent a week in the mountains of North Carolina and a few days in Nashville, seeing my newest niece for the first time (and, of course, my brother and sister-in-law).
I got back home and jumped right into daily radiation treatments–33 of them. Again, the treatments weren’t nearly as bad as I expected, but I was thrilled when they ended last week. I couldn’t wait to put all of this cancer stuff behind me.
I didn’t write about this while it was going on mainly because I was afraid that people would offer suggestions and criticisms of my decision to go through with chemo and radiation, and I just couldn’t risk the additional stress that would have put on me. So why am I telling you now? Even though this blog is recipe-oriented and not usually very personal, I wasn’t sure if I could go on writing it if I had to pretend like something this big hadn’t happened to me, something that has consumed the last eight months of my life and has changed the way I see myself and the way I think about diet, veganism, and health.
My first month post-diagnosis, before I had the specter of chemo to worry me, all I could think about was “why” and “how”: Why did I, a vegan who tries to eat healthy, get cancer when no one else in my Standard American Diet-eating family has ever had cancer? What had I done wrong? Had I eaten too few nuts? Too little cilantro? Not enough flax seeds? BPA? Soy?! I worried that I had caused my cancer by never being able to get to my goal weight and stay there, that I didn’t exercise consistently, that I had had only one child late in life and that I hadn’t breastfed her long enough.
I was blaming myself, and I had a lot of help from the Internet. I couldn’t visit Facebook without seeing posts about how eating X (broccoli, nuts, soy, orange) would help prevent cancer. Or people posting about their frustration that a friend or family member had breast cancer and refused to treat it by adopting a plant-based diet. If I, someone who had been eating all the right things (and not eating all the wrong ones), got the message that I was to blame for my cancer, how must other cancer patients feel, the ones who hadn’t been stuffing themselves with kale and mushrooms? Is there a way to promote a plant-based diet that doesn’t point the finger of blame, that doesn’t make grand promises of health, and that doesn’t make people like me feel so confident in the invincibility of our diets that we put off mammograms or other screening tests?
I don’t know. But for me, it’s been helpful to think of the vegan diet as promoting health, but not providing a “Get out of Disease Free” card. My friend Maria made me see that even if my diet didn’t prevent me from getting cancer, perhaps the cancer would have grown much more quickly if I hadn’t been vegan. Perhaps I wouldn’t have sailed through chemo without ever needing nausea meds if I hadn’t been nourishing my body with fruits and vegetables. Perhaps my immune system wouldn’t have stayed as strong as it did or my energy as high if I had been consuming animal products.
It’s also been helpful to me to remember my real reason for being vegan. Though I’ve followed a McDougall-type diet ever since I became vegan, my ultimate reason for becoming vegan was not to improve my own health but to decrease the suffering of animals. So if you’re reading this and worrying that I’m going to be another vegan blogger who goes back to eating animals for her own health, don’t. No diagnosis in the world could convince me to eat another animal or animal product.
As for my current health, I feel great, and I’m confident that I caught this cancer early and have done and am doing everything medically and nutritionally possible to make sure I never have to worry about it again. I’ve tweaked my diet to reduce or eliminate foods I don’t need (sugar, soy, wine, and coffee) and to increase those I wasn’t eating enough of before (broccoli sprouts, flax seeds, organics). I walk at least once and sometimes twice a day, and soon I’ll be starting a workout routine at the gym. I plan to lose the extra weight I’ve been carrying around, which is the biggest threat to my health.
I think the hardest struggle I’ve faced isn’t physical but emotional. My image of myself as a healthy person who never took pills and was confident her vegan diet would protect her from anything–that image took a pretty big hit. I’ve been worried about “coming out” as a vegan with cancer for fear that non-vegans would see it as proof that a vegan diet “doesn’t work” and that some vegans would skewer me for resorting to traditional medicine. In the end, I decided that I had to put my truth out there so that I can get past it and get back to blogging as usual. Next post, you can expect a recipe. Cancer isn’t on the menu.
Thank you to all my family, friends, and friends of friends who offered love and support. And to my church, the Unitarian-Universalist Church of Jackson, and my parents’ church, The First Presbyterian Church of Hammond, LA (love the shawl and cap, y’all!) And to Maria Maggi, Nava Atlas, Dreena Burton, and Stephanie Weaver–wise women all, whose words of advice and offers of support helped me more than they probably know.
Bonnie K.
October 9, 2014 at 3:37 pmHi Susan, I am sorry for the ordeal you have been through. So many of my family’s favorite recipes come from you, so I often feel like you are in the kitchen with me 🙂 I keep reminding myself that I haven’t always been a healthy eater and according to Fuhrman, cancers start when we are very young. So I shouldn’t think that I won’t ever get sick or end up with cancerous cells. Plus we all breath air that is polluted with who knows what. I completely agree with Maria, I imagine that being a nutrition conscious vegan probably lessoned the side effects of the treatment and hopefully made them even more effective. Thank you so much for sharing your story.
Nancy
October 9, 2014 at 3:39 pmThank you for your bravery and trust to share your story. Big hugs to you and sending healthy healing thoughts your way. Everyone deserves to make their own decisions and you did what was right for you. Kudos to you !
Looking forward to more of your great recipes!!
Dara Lythgoe
October 9, 2014 at 3:39 pmI too have had some unexpected health issues since becoming vegan (depression, low b12, low iron, etc) that have only served to strengthen my belief that veganism is not a cure-all diet. I haven’t experienced anything close to the C word but I too, have been surprised by my lack of health despite an excellent diet and regular exercise. This broke my heart to read. Most of my go to recipes are from you. I think of you often and I truly wish the best for you and yours. I’m grateful for your honesty and I feel that you being honest is not going to harm the vegan movement. If anything your honesty will be enlightening. I too am vegan for the animals. I wish I could save them all but I’ll settle for doing what I can. Much love, Dara Lythgoe
KL
October 9, 2014 at 3:39 pmSo glad you are ok, so sorry you had to go through that. I am glad you are STAYING VEGAN . I thought this post was honest & heartfelt. Best to you
Kerstin Decker
October 9, 2014 at 3:41 pmThank you so very much for sharing your ordeal. Not long ago, I had the same diagnosis and went through the same treatment. I am now cancer free, but also feel like you, I am staying on my healthy vegan food intake and thank Dr. McDougall for his help and encouragement. I now share with many people not only breast cancer patients, but all kinds of cancer and other illnesses that a whole food vegan life style can help and keep one strong. Thank you again.
With love, from one Survivor to another, Kerstin Decker
Anna
October 9, 2014 at 3:41 pmDear Susan,
Thank you for your courage in sharing your story. I think every decision you’ve made along the way is very sensible. I’ve been reading your blog and making your recipes for about three years now; I’ve always enjoyed your stories, and your sharing has made me feel like you’re a friend. So my heart sank when I began reading your story today. I’m so glad to hear that you made it through all your treatments and are back to good health now. All the very best to you.
Jessica
October 9, 2014 at 3:42 pmHI Susan,
Thank you for sharing your story. I especially resonated with what you said about blaming yourself for your diagnosis, and feeling like because we are vegan and try to do all the right things, we should be immune. You just don’t know how things would have been different if you at the SA Diet. Wishing you the best in health!
nancy hall
October 9, 2014 at 3:43 pmthank you for sharing your story. I’m glad you decided to share it with us. I’m also glad you went ahead with the treatments and I hope your recovery is permanent! cancer can hit anyone, as you know. your reason for becoming vegan is the same as mine so I applaud you for caring enough to save the animals. there’s no guarantee that being vegan makes us immune to diseases. I also don’t think you need to worry yourself about what people say about which treatment you chose. you’re a brave lady and I love your site, appreciate it, and appreciate you! stay strong, last long, and forever be proud you’re a vegan and a caring individual! most sincere wishes for your continued health, nancy
Ann
October 9, 2014 at 3:44 pmCancer is too complicated to be prevented by diet or other lifestyle choices. That’s not to say that a healthy lifestyle doesn’t help or that a poor life style doesn’t predispose you to the disease. We are exposed to so many carcinogens in the environment, environmental factors that mediate how our immune systems functions, how cells live and die, that all the broccoli or flax in the world won’t help. If you compare cancer rates in different countries, this becomes evident. My doctor told me that drinking more than two glasses of wine a week was dangerous. If that were true then breast cancer rates in France and Italy would soar above those in the U.S. They don’t. So, we are left with the physical reality of cell division and cell death, the mediating factors of where you live and all of the other things that intervene. Stay true to yourself and don’t blame yourself for getting breast cancer. It’s simply not the case.
Aimee B.
October 9, 2014 at 3:45 pmThank you so much for your courage in sharing your story. Wishing you continued good health. <3
moonwatcher
October 9, 2014 at 3:45 pmYou are a shining star <3 <3 <3
Allison
October 9, 2014 at 3:45 pmThank you so much for sharing.
Lana
October 9, 2014 at 3:46 pmSusan,
So sorry to hear this news. As a struggling wannabe-vegan, I have read your blog for inspiration and recipes, and deeply appreciate your sharing your story. We would all do well to have more compassion for each other, as we will all face illness and other trials as we make our way along the path of life.
My best wishes to you for good health and strength going forward.
mari
October 9, 2014 at 3:47 pmSusan,
Thank you so much for sharing this beautifully written post. I recently lost my mother and my aunt, both of them strong beautiful healthy eaters, to this ’empress of maladies’ and find myself constantly worrying and wondering if minute choices in their diets (was it the fault of an occasional Coca-Cola?) could have been the cause. I’m slowly learning that there is no hope in finding an explanation in that line of thinking. I wish you all of the best and look forward to more recipes soon.
Hugs from a long time reader!
Maura
October 9, 2014 at 3:48 pmGlad to hear you are recovering. You made the choices that were right for you, that is ALL that matters. Even the vegan docs admit that cancer is much too complicated a disease to think that food is the only consideration. I am sure your recovery was helped immensely by your healthy food choices. God Bless you and know you have so many people out here praying for your continued health! Thank you for sharing your story with us. My Mom is a 22-year survivor, and this helps me reaffirm I need to keep up with my yearly mammograms even with my vegan diet. Thank you Susan!
Kristina
October 9, 2014 at 3:49 pmHI Susan,
I really can identify with your emotional rollercoaster, especially believing that followin a vegan diet would make you bullet proof. In 2012 I was diagnosed with breast cancer too and I had been following this way of eating for about 5 years. All the second guessing and thinking how could this be is really normal I think. I did the very same thing and it really impacted how I saw myself. But on the mend and feeling great and so hope you feel great too. Now I know that no one really knows what causes breast cancer and I will probably never know why I got it either. Instead just moving forward with a happy heart. All the best to you, Kristina Brown
Eileen
October 9, 2014 at 3:49 pmXoxoxo
Thanks for sharing today & with everything you’ve done
Sharla
October 9, 2014 at 3:51 pmThank you for sharing your story. Wishing you all the best. Love your recipes.
Christine
October 9, 2014 at 3:51 pmIt’s a sign of your strength that you shared this personal journey! No one has to live your life but you, and you are not accountable to any of those judgmental folks out there. I hope you find that there is more compassion than judgment (though even vegans can sometimes use a lesson in compassion for other humans!). I am do glad that your results are good and I hope that darn cancer stays good and gone! I look forward to new recipes in your new chapter.
Gira
October 9, 2014 at 3:51 pmHi Susan,
Thank you so much for sharing such an honest and personal story.
I am currently reading The China Study by T. Colin Campbell, and he makes a convincing case of plant-based diet being the best defense against “diseases of affluence” such as heart disease, cancer, diabetes, etc. Your story is a fresh perspective that I shouldn’t take anything for granted. We all just have to do our best and fight the good fight. You are an inspiration.
Brandy
October 9, 2014 at 3:52 pmYou rock!
Liz
October 9, 2014 at 3:52 pmThank you for sharing your journey. I do not know what I would have done if faced with your circumstances. My health was in the pits 4 years ago when I started eating oil free vegan and it has improved. However I have no idea what the future holds or how much damage I did with 69 years of bad eating habits.
Joni
October 9, 2014 at 3:53 pmGlad you are “OK”. Thoughts are with you and yours, Like recipes,been vegetarian almost 2 years (next month). Take Care, with love, hugs, and rainbows
Mary
October 9, 2014 at 4:13 pmBravo, Susan! I am confident that the worst is behind you, due to your healthful lifestyle. Thanks for sharing your journey.
Audrey Quick
October 9, 2014 at 3:53 pmSusan, Sending much love and prayers for healing. I’m so sorry that you’ve had to go thru all of this.
Susan Hennessy
October 9, 2014 at 3:55 pmHi Susan,
Thanks for posting your experience with cancer. Choices are not always as black and white as they seem especially when they are yours to make.
I always enjoy your recipes and the definite ETL slant on them. I wish you good health for the future and look forward to your blogs whether they be about food, recipes, or what you’ve experienced in the “health” arena. It’s all interesting to me!
SHERRIL TWITCHELL
October 9, 2014 at 3:58 pmSusan, I applaud your courage for sharing your story. None of us have the right to judge another’s path or choices, even if they seem blatantly “wrong” or unhealthy. Yours certainly do not, yet I understand the fear of judgement that you feel. We who follow you will continue to do so and support you with our loyalty and admiration. big hugs
Sam
October 9, 2014 at 4:00 pmSusan,
I am sorry to hear about it.
I am quite sure you will feel better soon. Have you tried PRANAYAM -a Yoga breathing techniques- called 1) Nadi-sodhan and 2) Anulom-Vilom and 3) Bhastrika? These will/may enhance your immune system and oxygenate blood to fight against deadly disease. If you wish, go to YouTube and search for these many videos.
What is next? Are you trying to give up Vegan diet and enjoy like at its fullest?
BTW, a medical branch called “Natureopathy” try to treat cancer with GRAPES and other Vegan sources. Do you want me to send a Cancer Prevention Food Guide? It might work.!
Good Luck. Have a nice day.
Dreena Burton
October 9, 2014 at 4:00 pmSusan, you are a remarkable woman. I have always greatly admired and respected you. As a community, we are blessed beyond words to have you. Not only do you share your gift of beautiful, nourishing recipes, but you are sharing this extremely important message. Nothing is ‘given’. We do our best. But, the worst thing we can do is blame ourselves when something does go wrong. I used to share those “foods for cancer” infographics on facebook and the like. Early in 2014, I made a decision not to share those anymore. A piece of me felt that someone, anyone, out there could see that and think “that’s what I was doing wrong… I didn’t eat enough ____”, or some similar thought. I’m sorry you felt that way at any point. Our health is far more complex than how much kale we eat everyday.
I think Maria is very wise, you likely saved your own life with your choices, things could have been very different had you been living differently.
I feel fortunate to have met you at VVC and hope to meet you again soon. You are a light for us all. Keep shining. xx
Orysia Maria
October 9, 2014 at 4:01 pmDear Susan, CONGRATULATIONS in beating cancer.
Orysia Maria
Carolyn
October 9, 2014 at 4:03 pmOh dear God, Susan. And thank God you are here to write this, you are a blessing to all of your readers as well as your loved ones. You did everything right. Cancer just happens sometimes because one cell gets whacked out, and there’s nothing you can do to stop it. May you heal completely and quickly and never have to go through this again. And I am calling for my very overdue mammogram appointment tomorrow, thanks to this post.
Judy
October 9, 2014 at 4:04 pmSusan, sending you love & prayers! This is a great time of growth for you…in every way. You are a gift to the world & thanks for sharing your “vegan” gifts with me. You are one terrific cook!
Anne
October 9, 2014 at 4:04 pmWow! What a story…thank you for sharing and stay strong!
Robin
October 9, 2014 at 4:07 pmThanks for sharing this story. It is remarkable, as you are!
Jill
October 9, 2014 at 4:09 pmHi, a brave and thought provoking post. Well done for the path you chose to ensure the best recovery possible.
Melinda
October 9, 2014 at 4:09 pmRemembering a bygone post about your love-love relationship with coffee, I gasped when you said you were giving it up!
I have been on the fence about coffee, myself, in spite of some pretty clear signals that it hasn’t been doing me much good. I feel encouraged by your, well, courage, It sounds like a great time to take this on.
You inspire me….again and again. Thank you for sharing your life with all of us (and your recipes too!).
Susan Voisin
October 9, 2014 at 4:16 pmMelinda, believe it or not, I’ve been coffee-free for about 6 months now! I mostly did it because I gave up drinking soy milk and just didn’t like coffee with almond milk. The funny thing is, a couple of weeks ago I tried coffee again for old time’s sake–and didn’t like it! I’m a dedicated tea drinker now. 🙂
Melinda
October 9, 2014 at 7:39 pmAstonishing! I just got out my teapot.
Martha
October 9, 2014 at 4:10 pmThank you for sharing your story. I always love your spirit! I enjoy your recipes and posts. Thank you again! 🙂
Marian Gleason
October 9, 2014 at 4:10 pmSusan, my Susan…… I’m teary-eyed as I type this, knowing that you’ve been struggling with this horrible “C” and “C” for all these months. Bill and I believe in the power of prayer, and we will be praying for you to remain strong and positive. Keep doing what you do best. You are such a loving wife and mom. And you truly care about all of us who read your blog and try out your creative recipes. I know you’ll be successful with the exercise regime too – you are a “CAN-DO” gal! Sending love and many ((HUGS)) to you – I love you to the moon and back! xxMarian
Marian Gleason
October 9, 2014 at 4:14 pmJust realized that I’m the #76 posting person…… I shoulda been #1!! 🙂
BTW, my daughter is just finishing up her chemo for breast cancer too. I call her my Warrior Princess – as well as you should now become!! I’ll email you one of her latest photos. BE STRONG!! I am standing WITH you!! xxooxx
Sandy
October 9, 2014 at 4:11 pmI have lived with the belief that by eating vegan I would be invincible. I haven’t had a mammography in years. Thanks for sharing your story. I will set up an appointment tomorrow.
I am sending you tons of hugs and positive vibes.
Sandy
Chrissy
October 9, 2014 at 4:12 pmI am also vegan for many years and a couple of years ago had some “questionable” breast cells surgically removed. At the time they told me that different hospitals approach cancer prevention differently. For some surgery is the rule of thumb for for abnormal cells, whereas others, they take more of a wait and watch attitude. Of course, there is no right or wrong.
What I realized, after my experience, was that even as vegans, there is the possibility of unknown exposure to some kind of environmental hazard (or in my case, breast cancer runs in the family) that nutrition alone cannot fix. Thank you for all your amazing recipes that help keep me and my husband healthy and so glad you are doing ok now.
Michelle Bush
October 9, 2014 at 4:13 pmHi Susan, Thank you so much for writing this. I have always loved your blog and your recipes, and nothing has changed. Everything you said rang true, and understandable, and wise. You are one amazing person! I don’t have too much to say that others haven’t said. I just wanted to add one more voice to the chorus of well-wishers you have and deserve. I wish you much health and happiness in the years to come. -Michelle from Boston, MA