Every time they are together, Birmingham Pediatrician Jacqueline Stewart and George W. Stewart are caught in the same dilemma: What will we eat?
It’s a small moment, but it’s their moment until they eventually make a decision.
Salads. Check.
Sandwiches. Check.
Fried Fish. Check! Check! Check!
In 2015 when Dr. Stewart was diagnosed with breast cancer, she received 16 radiation treatments at Brookwood Hospital. And since she was a physician on staff, she had access to the doctors’ dining room. So, following her treatments on Fridays, she and her husband would go to the dining room and order. She liked the fried catfish with rice, a salad and hush puppies.
“They did a very good job of frying it,” said Dr. Stewart, who operates Huggs and Kisses Sick Child Care in Birmingham. “The seasoning was good.”
That outing on the second floor was their special thing that followed them to restaurants in Birmingham.
“As a matter of fact, we are sitting outside a restaurant right now, waiting to go in,” Dr. Stewart said during a telephone interview on a recent Friday afternoon. “Where we go to eat is usually the hardest decision to make.”
It’s the same on Sundays after church, when the exchange between them is like two lovesick teenagers on their first date.
“We’ll say, ‘Where do you want to go eat?’ and then we’ll say, ‘I don’t know. Where do you want to go eat?’ ”
Eventually, they’ll make a decision that is as sweet as pie.
“This is a time we can spend together and enjoy each other because good conversation always happens over a meal,” she said.
NOTE: In America, one in eight women will be diagnosed with invasive breast cancer during their lifetime. In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, I will be profiling one female breast cancer survivor each day in October 2025. The stories will also highlight a food from a Birmingham, AL restaurant or food vendor they liked at some point during their breast cancer journey or today. The series is called “SurviveHer at the Table: Food. Faith. Fight.”
Each story posted this month is the opinion of the survivor, with a goal to increase awareness about early detection and treatment for breast cancer. Readers should consult with their physician for medical and health advice and their nutritionist for healthy eating tips. Links to area resources will be shared in future posts this month.
Chanda Temple is an award-winning writer living in Birmingham, Ala. She blogs at http://www.chandatemplewrites.com. If you have a food story idea, email her at chandatemple@gmail.com. Follow her on Instagram at @chandatemple.
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