1. Wash and pat dry peaches, tomatoes, jalapeño, limes and cilantro.

2. Remove pits from peaches, then chop peaches and tomatoes.

4. Combine all ingredients in large bowl and mix well.

5. Transfer to container or glass jar and refrigerate for 15 minutes or longer to allow flavors to combine.

6. When ready to serve, peel and cut jicama root into thin slices, squeeze lime over jicama root and serve with salsa.

3 large mangoes, peeled and cut into cubes

1. Combine onion, jalapeno, lemon juice and lime juice in a large salad bowl.

2. Add remaining ingredients, mix and serve right away. This will keep in the refrigerator up to 7 days.

Vegan Blueberry Crisp (100% Whole Grain, Dairy Free)

3 tablespoons coconut oil or 31⁄2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly (use coconut oil for vegan or dairy free)

2 to 3 tablespoons maple syrup (use 3 tablespoons if your blueberries aren’t sweet)

3 cups blueberries, rinsed and patted dry

This recipe uses refined coconut oil, which has no coconut taste.
If you use unrefined coconut oil, the topping may have a mild coconut taste.

1. Preheat the oven to 350° F and grease two 4.5-inch or 5-inch mini pie dishes. If you don’t have mini pie dishes, use ramekins (about 4).

2. In a medium mixing bowl, stir together all the topping ingredients. Set aside.

3. In another medium mixing bowl, stir together the filling ingredients except the blueberries. When well combined, gently stir in the blueberries and coat in the liquid mixture.

4. Divide the blueberry mixture between the baking dishes. Depending on the size of your dishes, the blueberries may rise well over the top of the dish edge. That is fine — the blueberries will cook down.

5. Distribute the topping evenly over the blueberries.

6. Place the dishes on a baking sheet to catch any spills.

7. Bake for 28 to 32 minutes or until the topping is firm and the blueberries are bubbling.

8. Let cool for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.

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Healing Well

With summer in full swing, it’s time to host a get-together. Impress your guests with a fresh summer salsa and a salad with a twist. What about dessert? Don’t worry — this one is guilt-free.

Brighten Up Your Summer With These Healthy Recipes

Charlene Wheeless used to describe herself as the “typical type A personality.” That changed, however, after she was found to have breast cancer in February 2017 and had nine surgeries in three years.

When she left her corporate job, she didn’t know what she was going to do but then realized she had a story to tell.

She started off writing a blog, which quickly turned into her book, "You Are Enough!" Her book tells the story of lessons she has learned through her job, life and cancer journey.

 about her cancer and survivorship journey and why she felt she 

Q: Why did you decide to write this book?

 When I left the corporate world, I didn’t know what I wanted to do. And I didn’t know what I was going to do. I woke up one day and I thought, “I have an important story to tell and I need to figure out how to tell it.” So I started a blog called Just Between Us Girls, and in the blog I talked about the things that (happen) to you post cancer, the way you feel about your body, the people around you, your spouse, how you can become so insecure when that’s not something that you’re used to being. But when I was looking for resources to help me, I couldn’t really find anything, or I found (that) people were doing what I felt was sugarcoating the whole thing. I decided that someone needed to tell an authentic story. Literally, I woke up one day, and I said, “Oh, my gosh, I am being pulled to write a book.” ... It was a pull to tell the story, warts and all, so that I could perhaps help other people.

... I’ve been very open with my cancer. (When people found out that after the surgery) I had one and a half (breasts), all these different things, people started reaching out to me. And in many cases, I don’t know them, and they’ll ask, “I’ve just received a diagnosis. Can we talk?” And that’s been really rewarding, as well. Because of the book, I’ve been able to tell the story.

I also have the story of what it’s like being a Black female executive climbing the corporate ladder. The lessons I learned in doing that, which was really hard, are some of the same lessons I was able to apply to creating my new life as a patient post cancer, if there is such a thing — I think we’re kind of always a patient with cancer. But I suddenly understood how important my story was for other people to hear and to learn from, and just maybe their journey would be a little bit easier for them because they read the book. ... I wrote it in two months, which people tell me is an incredible amount of time to write a book. I’d never written one, so I didn’t know how long it takes. But I guess that’s just testament to how strong the pull was to write.

You say in your introduction you felt you “had” to write a book. Could you explain that a little more?

I think, both from a cancer perspective and from going through life as a Black female, there’s so much to unpack there. When I was younger in my career and I would go to sessions (at conferences), they’d have panels of really accomplished women. I was struggling in a world that was not built for me and I wanted to learn something from these women. And again, everybody kind of sugarcoated it. (They would say), “Oh, I didn’t experience blatant bias,” and I would walk away actually not feeling motivated and empowered but instead feeling, “What’s wrong with me? Why am I having this unique experience?”

And it was the same thing with cancer. It was, “Am I the only one who actually wants to kill herself after surviving breast cancer?” As I started to talk to other people, they gave me (the impression) that they maybe felt the same way but would never talk about it. These are topics that are just verboten — you don’t talk about them. I felt really strongly that I’m a fairly fearless person and somebody has to talk about this, right? I decided that person was going to be me, and the best way to do it was to put it in a book so that people could refer back to it. I could tell stories and give people examples and lessons that helped me create the life I have now.

(There is) a woman who used to work for me in London, who I’m still in touch with, who I love dearly. We had dinner in London one night, and she had been going through her own personal things. Afterward she sent me a note and said, “I was reading your blog, and when I started reading it I was crying for you, but when I finished reading it, I was crying for me, because I know how strong you are. And the fact that you were willing to be so vulnerable helped me to feel like I’m OK.” I thought, if I can do that for one person, then maybe I can do that for thousands of people. ... I believe that legacies are built by the people you touch along the way. I know now that time is finite, and you have an incredible sense of your own mortality when you’ve gone through something like this. My goal has been to touch as many people with my message as I possibly can.

I tell a story about the challenges of climbing that corporate ladder and what happens when you get to the end and ask yourself, “Well, what was it all for?” I managed to blend that with my cancer journey, some of the challenges there and the intersectionality.

As an example, one of the first things I wrote is that it’s choice, not chance, that changes your life. I think that applies to work and the situations we can find ourselves in at work. It also applies to dealing with a diagnosis, as well, and dealing with the disease. How you choose to approach that disease can make a really big difference.

I have a chapter about the importance of having a champion at work and being able to advocate for yourself. There’s no greater place to advocate for yourself, (no place more) crucial, than in the health care system. In each chapter is a strategy, both for life and for career. When people finish reading the book, they’ll realize that it may not be the exact same thing, but my story is their story. It kind of belongs to all of us. If I’ve done my job, they will walk away feeling empowered, somewhat fearless. (They will know) how to thrive and create the life they want, with purpose and passion and, most importantly, unapologetic authenticity. You don’t have to twist yourself into knots to fit someone’s ideal of who you are. If I could only deliver one message, it would be “You are enough.” So many of us walk around thinking that we don’t measure up. I want everybody to know that you are you, and it is enough.

What are some of the lessons you learned from surviving cancer?

There are so many. One of the things that I had to do, and this may sound a little strange, is I had to forgive myself for getting cancer. I think if you’re someone, particularly if you’re a type A personality, you think there’s something you did or didn’t do that caused you to get cancer, (such as) something that affected your immune system. I learned that I just needed to be easier on myself.

I also had to learn that not everybody knows how to have a friend who is sick. You need to give people some grace. I had friends who never came around when I was sick, and there were people I saw all the time. I had to ... allow them some grace and some understanding. But, certainly, there’s always room for humanity and compassion, and we should lead with those things.

I also learned, quite frankly, that there are people out there (in the workforce) who will subtly and not so subtly take advantage of your weakened state. My husband, Greg, said to me when I was getting ready to go back to work — a little bit of tough love here — “I know, you’ve been surrounded by people who have been all about you getting better and wanting to help and do everything they can for you, but when you go back into work, nobody cares that you had cancer and within a couple of weeks, no one’s even going to remember that you had cancer.” And I thought, well, that’s kind of a horrible way to think about things ... but I tell you what, he was 100% right. For people who have not had cancer or any kind of a disease who work with people that do, I just beg you to give them some grace and understand that, although they may look normal to you, they could be falling apart inside.

Now when I run into people who have had some kind of a disease or who are suffering from something, I just want to hug them and say, “You are OK. And if you don’t fit into your life that you used to have, you have permission to create another life.” That’s what I learned. I would have never thought that I’d be living the life that I am now. I would have never thought that I would write a book and that I would be on the speaking circuit talking about my life and my experience. But people appreciate and want authenticity, and they want to connect on a really human level, and you have to be willing to do that. There are a lot of people out there who might want to see you fail in the workplace, and, trust me, they’re out there. But there also are so many people who want to help and who want to be your champion, and you just have to let them. But that’s hard because we equate being vulnerable with being weak, right? It’s actually the opposite.

What was the most challenging part of your cancer journey?

It was definitely coming out of it. Coming out of treatment, because I (felt that I) no longer fit into the life I had before. And I didn’t understand the life I was in. I’m such a strong person, I have such a strong sense of identity. And all of that was gone. It was kind of a harrowing experience because I would look in the mirror and I would see this person and I’d stare at her because I didn’t recognize her. I didn’t know who she was. And so it really started a journey of me trying to figure out who I was and how I was going to move forward in the world. One of the toughest parts was realizing that I couldn’t go back to my old life. I couldn’t be that hard-charging executive, type A personality, overachiever, all those things. I had a career as an executive, and I spent 33 years building that career. All of a sudden, it didn’t work anymore. So, I think that was really hard for me. I have two daughters who are now 27 and 25, and they handled it like champs. But I think I did them a big disservice because I think I put on too much of a brave front for them and it took a lot of energy to do that. I didn’t teach them the lesson that sometimes you’re not OK. And it’s all right not to be. You don’t always have to put on a brave face for everyone.

What advice would you offer someone who has received a diagnosis and may be going through a similar situation?

I tell them to not be afraid to reach out and ask for help. I think that’s one of the hardest things to do. We think that it’s a sign of weakness, but I think it’s really a sign of strength to ask people for help when you need it.

The other thing that I would say, which may sound a little strange, is be selfish. Really watch out for what you need and what’s important to you. I have lots of friends who wanted to visit when (I was) going through treatment because I didn’t work during my treatment. A lot of people wanted to visit me, and it was exhausting — I only had so much energy. I realized at some point that they were coming over, they cared about me, but when they came over, I had the responsibility to make sure they knew I was OK. It was more (like) your visitors are there to assuage their feelings as opposed to yours. It’s unintentional, of course, because everybody has good intentions. I just wish that I had been more selfish earlier, reserved my energy and told people, “Feel free to text, send me a note, whatever it is you want to do, an email, but not a visit.” I would tell people to be more selfish because your health is really important, your mental state, you have to manage your energy.

How has being a survivor changed your life?

Wow. I say cancer changed my life, so I had to change my world. And it was realizing that the life I had built for 30-plus years, I no longer fit into it. I found that I just didn’t have the patience for some of the crap that we have to put up with. And I also learned that your time is finite, and you only have so much of it, so we should all think about how we channel that energy, how we use that energy. I’m a big believer in that if something negative happens to you, it’s your responsibility to turn that into a positive for someone else. Through cancer, I found a new voice to tell a really raw and honest and authentic story to help other people. If someone is struggling, and they read something I’ve written, I want them to say, “It’s OK to not be OK. Here was this person who is really strong, and she struggled, so it’s all right if I’m struggling.” I would say that cancer gave me an incredibly strong sense of purpose that I didn’t have before.

Is there anything else that you think survivors should know, either from your journey or about your book?

Regarding the journey, for most of us, you will get through this, and I say most because I’m just being honest. But for most of us, you will get through this no matter how hard it is. Give yourself a break, particularly talking about the career aspect. Again, I’m going to say, “You are enough.” I spent so much time trying to be whatever this company or this leader said I needed to be. I was thinking I’m not enough of this, I’m too much of that, I should be less of this, be more of this. ... So much happens that when you look up, you don’t even know who you are anymore. Fitting in is so important in the workplace; unfortunately, it’s like trying to squeeze your size 8 foot into a size 6 stiletto shoe. You’re going to get your foot in that shoe, but at some point it is going to reshape your foot into something you don’t recognize. You don’t have to do that. We don’t have to turn ourselves inside out to be successful. Believe that we are enough, you are enough, every gift you bring to the table — whoever you are, your unique difference — you are enough. That’s what I want people more than anything else to walk away with from the book; believing that, not just saying it, but believing it.

This interview has been edited for clarity.

Bookshelf

A hard-charging executive felt lost after surviving cancer because she didn’t fit into her old life. But, she says, “cancer changed my life, so I changed my world.”

It's Important to Know: You Are Enough

Twelve hours, 32 minutes and 32 seconds. That’s how long it took Colin Jackson to cross the finish line of a marathon in Arizona earlier this year.

Jackson, 39, walked the 26.2 miles — equivalent to the length of approximately 95 Empire State Building’s stacked on top of each other — because a prosthetic hip and surgically repaired femur prevent him from partaking in his passion of the past several years, running.

On Aug. 9, 2019, Jackson was diagnosed with stage 3 chondrosarcoma, a rare form of bone cancer. The disease usually occurs in the long bones of the arms or legs, shoulder, pelvis or ribs. It makes up approximately 25% to 40% of the 5,000 to 6,000 cases of bone cancers diagnosed each year.

Weeks after receiving his diagnosis, Jackson underwent a nine-and-a-half-hour surgery to remove part of his hip capsule, the top portion of his femur (the thigh bone) and most of the muscles in his buttocks to extract the fast-growing tumor.

“What hit me the toughest was being told that I wouldn’t be able to run because of where my cancer was and what was going to have to be removed,” he said in an interview with Heal®. “My endurance days were coming to an end. That hit me harder than (being) told that I had cancer.”

In January 2014, Jackson visited his primary care doctor after having difficulty breathing while doing simple tasks such as walking from the car to his house. He was told that he was morbidly obese and unless he made drastic changes to his lifestyle, he likely would not live to see his next birthday.

After that devastating news, he committed to completing a marathon within the next year. Jackson ran his first marathon in 2015 in Arizona; during his training, he had lost 106 pounds.

“If it wasn’t for running, I wouldn’t be here today,” he said. “I wouldn’t even have had a cancer diagnosis because I wouldn’t have made it to that point. With running, I’ve been able to be extremely conditioned. When I say conditioned, I conditioned my mind to overcome the things that I once thought were challenging.”

When Jackson was training for his first marathon and trying to lose weight, he would set small goals. The plan was to have little victories each week, rather than try to achieve a huge milestone immediately.

“I credit my running and what I got from completing the nine full marathons I had prior to getting diagnosed with cancer to being able to get mentally prepared for ultimately the toughest race of my life, which has been battling chondrosarcoma,” he said. “Even though cancer has been a little bit different type of a race, (running gave) me the foundations.”

Marathons had been part of Jackson’s life for the past six years. So when he was told he would no longer be able to run, he was absolutely crushed.

However, following the surgery to remove his tumor and replace his hip and femur, Jackson wanted to set an extremely difficult, but not impossible, goal for himself: finishing another marathon.

He set his sights on returning to the same place he completed his first marathon — Arizona.

“I knew that if every day I was putting in work, I would be able to walk the marathon despite how long it might take,” he said. “It may have taken me the whole day, (and) I was prepared to go out there and walk the entire day if it meant completing another marathon.

“Before getting diagnosed, my goal was to complete another one. Cancer inconveniently got in the way. But every day when I would ... do my physical therapy, or when the world locked down and I was walking outside, I would push farther than I thought I was going to go just to prove to myself, ‘Hey, I can do it today, I can do that extra bit.’”

Whether it’s positive or negative, Jackson urges others to acknowledge the thoughts that they have during their cancer journey.

In fact, he says it’s OK to be scared, want to cry and feel as though you just can’t keep going any further. However, he said that it’s also OK to be happy and laugh.

“Remind yourself that you’ve already overcome whatever you’ve overcome,” he said. “Yes, this is extremely challenging. But if you break down other things in (your) life, more than likely there’s something that’s been a challenge, too, that you thought you couldn’t overcome. Use that (experience) to overcome (this challenge).”

Feature

More than nine hours of surgery to remove a rare form of bone cancer in the his hip and leg forced Colin Jackson to relearn how to do simple tasks. Months later, he crossed the finish line of a marathon.

The Toughest Race of His Life

Exercise has always been part of Scott Wieskamp’s life. But after cancer treatment, the longtime runner and marathoner added a new element to his training regimen — exercises to strengthen and maintain his swallowing muscles.

"Every day while I’m driving to work, I open my mouth like I’m yawning to stretch all my facial muscles as much as I can,” says Wieskamp, 62, who lives just outside Lincoln, Nebraska. “I take my tongue and put it under the back of my lower teeth and push as hard as I can to exercise my tongue muscles. There’s about half a dozen things I do for a few minutes every day.”

Four years ago, Wieskamp was treated for oral cancer caused by the human papillomavirus. The aggressive treatment, which included 39 radiation sessions and several doses of the chemotherapy drug cisplatin, knocked out the cancer. But it also left Wieskamp unable to eat, and he lost 15 pounds in a matter of weeks.

“As you get radiation in the neck and throat area, it becomes painful to swallow,” he says. “I quit doing all that. I quit eating, quit swallowing — I couldn’t even drink.”

Because he was unable to get adequate nutrition, his doctors inserted a feeding tube so Wieskamp wouldn’t have to swallow. The tube stayed in place throughout his two months of treatment and for about a month after, he says.

Although his nutrition improved, Wieskamp says he was left with another problem: His muscles “forgot” how to swallow.

“I had to go to a speech-language pathologist to help me learn how to swallow again,” he says. “It was scary, painful and frustrating.”

Wieskamp’s swallowing challenges aren’t uncommon. After treatment, survivors of cancer may experience not only difficulty swallowing but also dry mouth and changes in taste, smell, digestion or bowel habits. Any of these changes can make eating and drinking a struggle, which then makes it difficult to get adequate nourishment.

When you’re not getting the nutrients you need, it’s hard for the body to regain strength and rebuild cells, according to Rachel Wong, an oncology dietitian at the Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital in Washington, D.C.

“Patients can experience delayed healing and recovery caused by poor nutrition post treatment” she says. “A rapid decline in weight from inadequate nutrition often results in both fat and muscle loss, causing significant fatigue and weakness, which can greatly impact one’s ability to accomplish tasks and resume a normal way of living.”

“It can be possible that patients find delayed healing and delayed recovery because of poor nutrition post treatment,” she further explains. “If you’ve lost a lot of weight and you’ve lost muscle, you may sleep a lot during the day.”

Eating challenges can also make it tough for survivors of cancer to enjoy time with family and friends, Wieskamp says. After treatment, he didn’t look forward to social occasions like he used to. “People say, ‘Hey, let’s meet for coffee’ or ‘Let’s have family over and we’ll have a meal,’” he says. “Our lives revolve around food.”

Some types of cancer require treatments that are more likely to affect how people eat and drink. According to Dr. David G. Pfister, medical oncologist and chief of the Head and Neck Oncology Service at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City, treatments for cancers of the head and neck pose particular challenges because they can affect swallowing, taste and smell.

For example, surgery in certain areas of the head and neck can disrupt structures used in swallowing, such as the throat and tongue. In addition, oral mucositis — mouth pain, sores and infection — can develop after radiation and chemotherapy. Some survivors experience damage or changes to their salivary glands, which can make the mouth exceptionally dry. This can also predispose them to dental problems.

Jean DiNapoli, 62, of Newburgh, New York, says trying to swallow after completing 30 rounds of radiation for oropharyngeal cancer (a type of cancer found in an area of the throat called the oropharynx) was like “swallowing glass.” She also experienced mouth sores and thrush, a yeast infection that develops in the mouth, along with significant dry mouth.

DiNapoli, who is now seven years post treatment, says she lost about 35 pounds immediately following radiation.

“I could have gotten a feeding tube, but I really didn’t want it,” she says. “I didn’t want my muscles to atrophy.”

Pfister says the decision to place a feeding tube is one that doctors make carefully. “Not that long ago, when significant swelling, pain and weight loss were expected, we would prophylactically put in a feeding tube to get patients over the hump, so to speak,” he says. But doctors found that people would soon start taking all their calories through the tube, leading to the exact problem DiNapoli feared — muscle atrophy.

“Your swallowing muscles are like any other muscle. If you don’t use it, you lose it,” Pfister says, adding that it’s critical to make swallowing therapy a routine part of treatment along with good pain control. “We evaluate every patient in an individualized way. (Although) there clearly are settings where we put in a feeding tube, we’re more selective.”

After her treatment ended, DiNapoli worked with a speech pathologist once a week for a couple of months to regain strength in her tongue muscles and improve her ability to swallow. “I did different exercises, such as swallowing with my tongue between my teeth,” she says. “I also had the help of a good nutritionist.”

Registered dietitian nutritionists trained in mitigating the impact of cancer treatments can help survivors find new ways not only to get nourishment but also to enjoy food again. Annette Goldberg, a senior nutritionist at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, says choosing the tools to help individuals bring their symptoms under control can be a bit of a puzzle. It depends on factors such as their overall health prior to treatment, the type of cancer and treatment they had, and the social support system they have.

“Sometimes I’ll ask patients if they live alone, and they’ll wonder why I’m asking that question,” she says. “I want to make sure they have the proper support. If you’re not feeling well, you don’t want to do anything.” That includes cooking, she says.

Maureen Gardner, a clinical oncology nutritionist at Florida Cancer Specialists & Research Institute in Tampa, says survivors who’ve had cancers in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract or treatment for any cancer in areas near the GI tract — such as prostate, ovarian or uterine cancer — may experience ongoing effects on how food is digested and eliminated. Some survivors may experience weight gain, such as breast cancer survivors who are on long-term hormone therapies or those who have entered menopause. Other people may experience ongoing diarrhea or dumping syndrome — when food moves too quickly from the stomach to the small intestine — after being treated for GI cancers.

Gardner says dietary changes, both in what and how patients eat, can help manage eating challenges after cancer treatment ends. If you have dry mouth, try to:

• Focus on hydration. In addition to drinking water, Goldberg recommends keeping your mouth clean and avoiding toothpastes and mouthwashes that are too harsh.

• Boost saliva production. Tart foods can stimulate the salivary glands, Goldberg notes. Adding tart lemon juice to water or chewing a strong sugarless mint gum can help.

• Add soft, moist foods to your diet. Wong recommends adding extra sauces or broth or even cream to casserole-type dishes or when having drier foods like meat, potatoes and rice.

“Drinking fluids along with your meals can certainly help improve the moisture content in the mouth and make swallowing easier,” Wong says. “Just having a glass of water, juice or any type of liquid in between each bite can really help get the food down.”

DiNapoli says she drank lots of water to relieve her dry mouth. She also tried different lozenges, mouthwashes and gels. “I still use XyliMelts,” she says. “I put (one) in my mouth at night and it slowly dissolves.”

Some survivors experience changes in taste and smell that affect the way they experience food. “I lost my sense of taste right after radiation,” DiNapoli says. “Everything tasted like paste. But then my sense of taste came back so strong that spicy food was overly spicy. And my sense of smell is stronger.”

“I tell patients that your taste buds and smell will constantly change,” Wong says, encouraging people to keep a running list of things that work well and things that don’t. “In my experience, a list of what works gives you the motivation to keep trying new things.”

If you’ve had changes in taste and smell that affect how you experience food, try experimenting with seasonings. Adding spices such as basil, pepper or dill can make food more sweet, savory or salty and improve its flavor. Wong also recommends adding different types of sauces, such as ranch, barbecue, or sweet and sour to help bring out the flavor in foods and add some moisture.

If you’re experiencing ongoing GI symptoms such as diarrhea, Goldberg recommends talking to your doctor or nutritionist about supplements that might help, such as banana flakes. “It’s a product that’s made from dehydrated bananas, which contain several soluble fibers including pectin. The soluble fiber absorbs fluid to help firm the stool,” she says. “A combination of foods, maybe some supplements and working with your care team can help.”

Although eating and drinking can be difficult during active treatment and the weeks immediately after, strengthening exercises and dietary changes can help most people overcome these challenges with time. Addressing issues right from the start can help the healing process, Wong says.

“Getting guidance from a dietitian can impact how patients recover after their treatment,” she says, adding that it’s important for doctors to talk with patients about challenges they might experience. She also recommends resources such as the American Institute for Cancer Research and the American Cancer Society for advice on managing eating challenges after treatment.

Support groups — both online and in person — can also help. DiNapoli and Wieskamp are members of an organization called Support for People with Oral and Head and Neck Cancer (SPOHNC). Both say SPOHNC has been incredibly helpful as they’ve healed.

“I would tell most people that I’m 100% normal, but I’m not 100% the same,” Wieskamp says. “My brain has had to learn that things that used to taste one way taste a little different today. But I’m only one person. You could probably interview 20 people and they may have
20 different answers.”

For some cancer survivors, eating and drinking can become difficult, if not impossible, after treatment.

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