Anne Thorpe, ambassador for the New Zealand Breast Cancer Foundation, shares some thoughts on her relationship with cancer and food
In the summer of 1999 I couldn’t have felt better. I had just completed Sandra Cabot’s liver cleansing diet and, as a result, I felt fighting fit and fabulous. The weather was warm and beautiful and everybody around me was happy, cheerful and full of laughter.
I was lying on Pakiri Beach in-between swims when I felt the lump. I was due in Auckland later that day so I made an appointment to see my GP.
A young locum standing in for my doctor insisted I go immediately to The Breast Centre on the Shore. It was here my journey with breast cancer began.
A 5cm malignant tumour was detected in my right breast and was duly removed. Being positive and remaining upbeat was imperative to my recovery. It wasn’t going to get me down.
I can remember going out for dinner with my mates, carrying my drainage bottles concealed under my winter coat. I was determined to carry on normally, treating my predicament as though it were a mere hiccup.
Food, which had always been important to me, became the other great tool of my recovery. I wanted to combat this “thing” head-on. I knew good nutrition meant good health. I went back to my roots and combined local organic produce with good old-fashioned manaakitanga — an inherent expression of hospitality and aroha. I am certain the goodness of beautiful New Zealand produce in its most pure form — combined with the love of whanau and friends and the ritual of breaking bread together was a huge factor in my recovery.
Click here for Anne's Alfonsino fish recipe, which is chock-full of antioxidants to help fight free radicals.
