Archive of ‘Food’ category

Breast cancer led Denetra Johnson closer to God and community college

By Chanda Temple

Breast cancer pushed Denetra Johnson to do two things: enroll in community college and go to church more.

It all started on Oct. 29, 2011 after her doctor called and said she had triple breast cancer. What followed next was all Denetra had to hear: “I think we got it in time.”

Denetra cried at first. Then, she told her family and started working on a plan.

 “I said, ‘Well, I’m fixing to do some thangs now,’ ” Denetra recalled. “It’s time for me to grow up, … get stronger, be a thriver and a survivor.’ ”

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How Edgar’s Bakery strawberry cake makes everything seem allright

By Chanda Temple

Every Thursday, right after Tonya Adams’ breast cancer office visits, she and her mother had a standing date at Edgar’s Bakery in downtown Birmingham.

They’d walk in and the staff already knew what they wanted: a chicken salad box with a croissant, fruit and a slice of strawberry cake or strawberry cupcake.

For Tonya, it was like eating hope on a plate.

Tonya Adams (Photo provided by Tonya Adams)
Tonya Adams (Photo provided by Tonya Adams)

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A Birmingham breast cancer patient shares her story over a missed mammogram and her promise of hope

By Chanda Temple

When Monique Martin’s father died in May 2024, she was engulfed in grief. And as a result, the lymph nodes under her arms and in her neck, began to swell.

She thought stress had brought on the brief swelling. So, she ignored it.

Then, in August 2024, the swelling returned and it gradually got worse. In October 2024, she felt a lump in her left breast. Officials scheduled her for a mammogram in November 2024.

“I got the mammogram, went on the patient portal and read the results before they even called me,” she said. It said, “Indicative of breast cancer.” She wasn’t totally surprised because her mother is a breast cancer survivor. But she was scared.

“I was kind of kicking myself because I was like, ‘Maybe if I had gotten on this when I first noticed my lymph nodes were swollen, the prognosis would have been a little bit better,’ ” she said.

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The one pizza from Newk’s that helped Marshelle Harris taste life again

By Chanda Temple

During her chemo treatments for breast cancer, many things tasted like air to Marshelle Harris. 

Everything, that is, except for Newk’s Margherita Pizza when she swapped out its red pizza sauce for the Newk’s white barbecue sauce. She also asked that a little cilantro be added to the pizza’s existing offerings of grape tomatoes, mozzarella cheese and basil. 

Marshell Harris has a special request whenever she orders the Margherita pizza from Newk's. She replaces the red sauce with the eatery's white barbecue sauce. The taste is amazing! (Photo by Chanda Temple)
Marshell Harris’ s special twist to the Margherita pizza from Newk’s involves trading the red sauce for the eatery’s white barbecue sauce. The taste is transformative! (Photo by Chanda Temple)

The combo was a game changer, as the white BBQ sauce burst through with the most robust flavors on the warm, soft pizza slices.  

“I always tell people about it, and when they get it, they say, ‘Girl, you were not lying! ‘ ” she said. 

Breast cancer coach and advocate Marshelle Harris said that it's OK to get a second or third opinion after getting a diagnosis, and to connect with people who've walked this road before because there's so much to learn and know.(Photo provided by Marshalle Harris)
Breast cancer coach and advocate Marshelle Harris encourages breast cancer patients to get a second or third opinion after getting a diagnosis. She also suggests that patients connect with people who’ve walked this road before because there’s so much to learn and know. (Photo provided by Marshalle Harris)

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A breast cancer diagnosis couldn’t stop Madeline Patterson’s story of love and resilience

By Chanda Temple

Twenty-four hours before her first date with a man who would one day become her fiancé, Madeline Patterson’s phone rang.

It wasn’t him.

Instead, her UAB doctor was calling to tell her that her biopsy confirmed she had breast cancer and she needed to come in the next day. She had to call her date and cancel.

“I said, ‘Hey, this is crazy. I got some really bad news today. This is what is going on,’ ” she recalled. “He was really supportive.”

It was Nov.16, 2022.

Breast cancer survivor Madeline Patterson (Photo provided by Madeline Patterson)
Breast cancer survivor Madeline Patterson (Photo provided by Madeline Patterson)

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Eva Johnson doesn’t let breast cancer hold her back

By Chanda Temple

What a week Eva Johnson has had.

On Tuesday, the City of Birmingham presented her with a proclamation for the work she’s been doing in the community to help breast cancer survivors. Then, Mayor Randall Woodfin personally congratulated her.

On Thursday, 10 years after being declared cancer-free, she finally got the chance to ring the bell like other cancer survivors.

And this morning, she led her annual breast cancer walk, the Eva B. Johnson Warrior Walk, in East Lake Park to help raise money for breast cancer research and to support area organizations that help women facing breast cancer. With 75 attendees, including some she didn’t even know, the walk had the biggest crowd she’s ever had in the five years she’s been hosting it.

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Why a simple meal can mean everything during breast cancer treatments

By Chanda Temple

It was Deidra Sanderson’s first day of chemotherapy, and things were super busy. 

She wanted to try to save her hair from falling out during chemotherapy, so she opted to do something known as “cold capping,” which required her brother, who was by her side, to put a cap on her head to keep her scalp below freezing. Since he had to change the cap every 15 minutes, he was unable to take a break to even get them something to eat.

Then, Deidra received a text message that felt as though it was heaven sent. Becky Holt, a friend and fellow Junior League of Birmingham member, asked Deidra if she could bring her anything. Lunch? Coffee? Magazines?

Deidra said she’d like lunch, if it wasn’t too much trouble.  

Deidre Sanderson was diagnosed with breast cancer in October 2017, and she started chemotherapy in February 2018. She later had a lumpectomy and then radiation. She completed her radiation treatments in August 2018. (Photo provided by Deidre Sanderson)
Deidra Sanderson was diagnosed with breast cancer in October 2017, and she started chemotherapy in February 2018. She later had a lumpectomy and then radiation. She completed her radiation treatments in August 2018. (Photo provided by Deidre Sanderson)

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Sheila Williams beat cancer and found her voice in giving others laughter

By Chanda Temple

The way Sheila Williams sees it, breast cancer saved her life. 

Back in 2013, she was a 47 year old with bad eating habits and a tendency to grab the easiest meals while on the run. 

Everything fried was her life.

But when her doctor encouraged her to swap out greasy foods for whole foods, she listened.  

“I like to eat, but my first day of chemo, I couldn’t taste nothing. The only thing that kept me was salad,” she said. 

Breast cancer forced Sheila Williams to change her eating habits. "Sometimes, we have to be forced to get back on the right track. Cancer saved my life,'' she said. (Photo provided by Sheila Williams)
Breast cancer forced Sheila Williams to change her eating habits from fried chicken and fried pork chops to salad. “Sometimes, we have to be forced to get back on the right track. Cancer saved my life,” she said. (Photo provided by Sheila Williams)

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Melons and Miracles: How Judge Patricia Stephens found comfort during chemotherapy

By Chanda Temple

Every third Wednesday for four months, Jefferson County Divorce Court Judge Patrica Stephens had chemotherapy before undergoing a lumpectomy in March 2020.

The treatments left her nauseous, and she didn’t feel like eating.

“During that first week and a half, you don’t feel good,’’ she said. “You are queasy, and you feel like you are walking around in a dark cloud.’’

But she found solace in watermelons, honeydew melons, cantaloupe and the Galia melon, which is a hybrid of the honeydew and cantaloupe. They were lightweight and stayed on her stomach.

The chill of the melons from Publix, took her back to her childhood and away from the reality of cancer. And for that one moment at the dinner table, a bowl full of glistening green or orange melons was the only thing that mattered. 

Jefferson County Judge Patricia Stephens was diagnosed with breast cancer in August 2019. She had chemotherapy from October 2019 to February 2020. She had a lumpectomy in March 2020. Today, she is a cancer-free. (Photo provided by Patricia Stephens)
Jefferson County Judge Patricia Stephens was diagnosed with breast cancer in August 2019. She had chemotherapy from October 2019 to February 2020. And she had a lumpectomy in March 2020. Today, she is a cancer-free. (Photo provided by Patricia Stephens)

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How one Birmingham breast cancer survivor reclaimed her taste and joy after chemo

*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 vendor they liked at some point during their breast cancer journey or today. The series is called “SurviveHer at the Table: Food. Faith. Fight.” The stories can be found on this blog under the tag SurviveHer in the search bar.

By Chanda Temple

Cancer treatments not only robbed Marie Sutton of her right breast and hair in 2018, they also robbed her of the ability to taste.

Some of her favorite flavors were now distant memories.

She could only admire the garlic butter brushed across the thick crust on her favorite spicy pizza.  

Her mother’s macaroni and cheese was pretty on a plate but foreign to her palate.

And the crunch of fried catfish was all she could appreciate because the filets simply tasted like sand.

Marie Sutton (Photo provided by Marie Sutton) Marie Sutton (Photo provided by Marie Sutton)
Marie Sutton is cancer-free after being diagnosed with cancer in January 2018, undergoing a mastectomy in September 2018 and having more than 30 lymph nodes removed. (Photo provided by Marie Sutton)

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