Comical Chronicles

Stories of humor, resilience, and humanity from women navigating cancer on their own terms.

Eating for Two

While preparing for my bilateral reconstructive DIEP flap surgery, one of my responsibilities was to make sure that my plastic surgeon would have enough abdominal fat from which to work. I already had plenty to fill one breast, but if my breasts were going to resemble those that I had selected from a Victoria’s Secret Swimsuit Catalog, I was going to have to start eating for two.

I began my savory adventure by looking into healthy body-building snacks. I’ve always treasured the salty crunch of potato chips but I wanted to find a healthier, though equally caloric, alternative. Luckily, there’s a huge market out there for people just like me. As a result, I didn’t have to look very long. Now, when craving potato chips, I would reach for a bag of Terra chips. Every time I opted for this earthy blend of sweet potatoes, taro, yuca, batata, and parsnips, I felt as though I had really turned a culinary corner. 

Then there was my daily pilgrimage to the Fairfax Scoop, where the world’s most uniquely flavored ice creams are made daily from organic dairy that is delivered fresh from the local Strauss Family Creamery. All day long, I would fantasize about that mid-afternoon moment when I would finally get to swirl my sensation-deprived tongue around the creamy perimeter of my mocha chip cone.

Those first 10 licks of cool, sweet and creamy coffee would be followed by a chocolate-induced mood-elevating game of hide-and-seek. After closing my eyes, my tongue’s mission was to find all the dark chocolate treasures that were scattered throughout my scoop. Of course, once found, their lifespan was predictably short-lived.

In keeping with the unsupervised nature of my snack attacks, I also took some liberties with meal occasions. Nothing satisfied my carnivorous cravings better than a juicy organic New York Strip. Each succulent morsel always took me back to the Sunday suppers of my childhood, making me feel warm, cozy, and confident that everything was going to be alright.

—Jen

Jennifer Omholt is the author of Just Diagnosed: A Survivor’s Guide to Navigating Cancer. A longtime journalist and 24-year cancer survivor, she writes about the emotional, practical, and medical challenges faced during the critical first weeks after diagnosis.