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.

“It was sad because those are my comfort foods and they could not comfort me while I was going through chemotherapy for Stage 3 breast cancer, over two months,’’ Marie said. “Food is important to me, especially when you think of your mother’s mac and cheese. A, you know it was made with love. And B, you know it was going to be delicious, and I couldn’t access the treats and benefits of those foods.’’

“It made you sad because it was another thing I was locked out of while going through cancer,’’ Marie said.

As the chemotherapy drugs coursed through her body, killing the cancer cells and some good cells, the treatment also left sores in Marie’s mouth, which is common during treatment. “It hurt to even put things in your mouth. I had to take a cool wet washcloth and just lay it on my tongue,’’ she said.

Sometimes, relief came. Other times, Marie just closed her eyes, prayed and went to her happy place: life before cancer.

“Before cancer, I never had to worry about my health. I enjoyed family time and meals. I was not shackled by this disease,’’ said Marie, 51.

But through her faith, support from loved ones and advice from fellow breast cancer survivors, Marie found the comfort she craved. A survivor suggested Reed’s non-alcoholic ginger beer from Golden Temple Vegetarian Café in Birmingham’s Five Points South to awaken her tastebuds. It also helped with nausea from the chemo treatments. Another survivor said that Lemonheads, a childhood candy, would stimulate her tastebuds, even if it was just for a moment.

“You are walking sick, walking just drunk with sickness. And then, you can’t even enjoy your favorite food. It’s a lot,’’ she said. “But there is something about popping a Lemonhead in your mouth. It causes you to salivate, for some reason, and it just breaks through.’’ 

One month after chemo, Marie’s tastebuds started to return, and there was cause to celebrate. She visited Full Moon Bar-B-Q in metro-Birmingham and ordered the Southern fried cornmeal catfish with tartar sauce on the side. As she slid her fork into the light brown crust coating the catfish, she couldn’t wait to taste what she had been missing for so long.

After one bite, and she was finally home.

“When I was going through cancer, I said that my full-time job is to heal,’’ Marie said. “After healing and my tastebuds returned to normal, I not only had a greater appreciation for the spices and sauces I once savored but also the sweet communion of sharing them with the ones I love.’’

NOTE: 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.

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. 

Copyright © 2025, All rights reserved.

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