Celebrating Milestones Against Cancer

Let them eat cake!

Maybe that wasn't the best political stance, but it's pretty good therapy. I was actually afraid to eat for more than a month after surgery to remove a part of my colon that showed signs of cancer. I had no appetite and I was eating maybe a quarter of the portions I used to eat.

The good news: I lost 20 pounds and hit my goal weight for my upcoming wedding. My pants which used to fit now look more like baggy clown pants. I can't wear a belt because it's too uncomfortable so my fiancee suggested I get some Red Green-style suspenders. No thanks.

The bad news: I just had no energy, I was anemic and it didn't feel like things weren't getting better.

Stanford's Dr. Jeffrey Norton was visibly concerned when I told him how much weight I had lost. As I stood there trying to hold up my pants, Dr. Norton ordered me to start bulking up.

Well, my appetite is finally returning and I'm starting to put on a couple pounds. I'm not back on a normal, healthy diet yet and, strange as it might sound, I can't wait to eat my veggies.

With all the great fresh food at the local grocery stores and farmers markets, it's easy to find healthy foods. I've tried to follow the anti-Cancer diet, filled with a rainbow of power foods. The book by Dr. David Servan-Screiber prescribes a diet loaded with cancer-fighting foods, including certain fish, leafy green vegetables and even dark chocolate.

There's one thing about chocolate (with more than 70 percent cocoa), not only is it helpful in fighting cancer, but it's great for lifting the spirits. I'm taste-testing a few wedding cakes this week, which could be the most difficult but also the most enjoyable chore before the big day. The tiramisu: delicious but maybe too rich. The limoncello torte: nice and light. Mmmm, perhaps a cake with layers of chocolate and vanilla.

As we're looking for a delicious cake, we're also mindful of our own health and that of our guests. And with Bastille Day on Thursday, eating healthy is getting even more difficult.

That's when Tracy and I look at each other and say, "We're not going to let the cancer come back. We're going to fight it every day by eating right, exercising and staying positive."

Easily said, perhaps, but harder to do. That's why we all need friends, family and caregivers to help us in our struggle against cancer. Together, we're a lot stronger than cancer.

We have to celebrate even the little victories when we can so, go ahead, share in the cake.