Ashburton Guardian YOU Magazine, Saturday, October 16, 2021

you

Saturday, October 16, 2021

AND YOUR LIFESTYLE

RIBBON APPEAL

Breast cancer is the most common cancer for women in New Zealand, with over 3000 diagnosed every year. YOU reporter Maddison Gourlay had a sit-down with Mid Canterbury mother and daughter duo, Surrey Lamont and Megan Wells, who were open to sharing their breast cancer journey and their message of hope.

MADDISON GOURLAY

W

hen a doctor says “you have cancer”, it can be the three most devastating words to hear.

For a Mid Canterbury mother and daughter, they both took their diagnosis as an adventure.

Surrey Lamont, now 95, and daughter Megan Wells were both diagnosed with breast cancer within five years of each other.

Surrey woke up one day to notice a walnut-sized lump on the side of her left breast near her armpit.

“When you are 88 you think you’re past all that sort of nonsense,” she said.

“It was a hell of a shock when one morning it wasn’t there the day before, I felt this great big lump under my arm.

“I knew straight away what it was because I have been brought up to know about it, but not that I took much notice of that because at 88 I thought I was safe.”

Surrey went to the doctor, then a mammogram and biopsy the diagnosis was con-

firmed – grade three breast cancer. There are four grades of breast cancer, grade four being the most advanced.

“That was my second ever mammogram, the one before that was when I was 61,” she said.

“When I was diagnosed, I took it in my stride and decided to turn it into an adventure.

“I have never been a worrier, in all fairness I am a bit ignorant when it comes to medical matters, so for me making it an adventure was the only way to think of it.”

Numerous appointments at Christchurch Hospital took its toll, as one appointment was at 7am and not being able to drive was problematic.

Thanks to her support system, she stayed the night in Burnham with her granddaughter, who dropped her off at the hospital for her appointment.

It was only a matter of weeks between diagnosis and the full mastectomy of her left breast.

A mastectomy is the surgical removal of one or both breasts. During this surgery, breast cancer patients also have a lymphadenectomy, where they remove lymph nodes in the armpits called axillary lymph nodes.

It is usually the first place breast cancer cells spread outside the breast.

During Surrey’s surgery they removed 11 lymph nodes.

Daughters Megan and Bridget were there to support her when she went into surgery and once she was finished.

“I don’t remember how long it took, but it did take what felt like forever,” Megan said.

“We would go for a walk along the Avon River for a couple of hours, and come back to check and she was still in surgery and eventually in recovery.

“We were more worried in the recovery stage because she was taking a long time to wake up,” Megan said.

“I have never slept well, I dread going to bed,” Surrey said.

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“So I think that some of the reason that I took so long to get out of recovery was because I was catching up on sleep.”

A highlight of Surrey’s time in hospital was when 12 trainee doctors came to observe her as part of their training, some of

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Megan Wells (left) and Surrey Lamont cannot speak highly enough of mammograms for early detection of breast cancer, giving the best chance of beating this prolific disease.

PHOTOS MADDISON GOURLAY

the doctors were pretty good looking, she said.

“It wasn’t a hard decision for me to do a full mastectomy, not at my age,” she said.

“The worst part of the experience that I didn’t anticipate was the draining after the

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surgery. “You don’t realise that they would send that stuff home to amateurs who knew nothing about them.”

She would go to Ashburton Hospital and have the drainage checked every second day.

Due to quick thinking of her doctor sending her for a mammogram and a quick turnaround from her diagnosis to surgery, Surrey was able to have just the full mastectomy and 11 lymph nodes removed, being in the clear to not have chemo or radiation.

The only lasting treatment after Surrey’s surgery was taking a drug called Tamoxifen for five years after surgery, which is a chemo preventative strategy.

Surrey said throughout her breast cancer journey she was grateful for the unexpected support, especially from various groups within the community.

She said one unexpected need after her mastectomy was a satin underarm pillow gifted to her by Zonta Ashburton.

“It was something I would have never thought I would need after surgery, but I’m so glad they did something like that because it made recovery that much easier,” Surrey said.

Now Surrey wears a specially made prosthesis boob which inserts into her bra, and custom bra which is funded.

She has recently been given her second prosthesis.

“I think they didn’t expect to give me another one as they didn’t think I would still be going,” she said.

Five words that describe Surrey’s journey are “well, it didn’t kill me”.

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RIBBON APPEAL From P19 “I like to think I have a lot of luck behind me.”

Surrey’s daughter Megan Wells’ story doesn’t start the same way as her mothers.

Five years ago (2016) she went to her usual biannual mammogram, at which she was called back for more testing.

“My sister has experience with getting a call back after a mammogram and it turned out to be nothing, everything came back fine,” Megan said.

“We went to Breast Care in Christchurch and they did a scan, and I was on the table and I remember looking over to them looking at the scan thinking crap, there might actually be something going on here.”

Those scans revealed a 8mm lump, but it could not be felt with a physical exam.

“If it had not been for the mammogram that could have gone on until it got to a point where you could feel it,” she said.

To do a diagnosis, they had to perform a biopsy which felt like “being punched in the boob”.

When getting the results of the biopsy a short while later, she immediately knew what the doctors were going to say.

“As soon as I walked into that room they were going to tell me it was cancer, you just knew when you looked at their faces,” she said.

She was diagnosed with grade one breast cancer.

The breast surgeon said we could opt for a lumpectomy, take the lump out in a surgery and then come back to Christchurch for radiation and chemo.

“That was when I asked, ‘can I just have the breast off’?”

“She didn’t say that was a bit drastic, but I know that was what they might have been thinking,” she said.

Megan had support from her mother and her sister-in-law, first hand advice from their own experiences, which prompted her decision for a full mastectomy instead of the lumpectomy.

“I had talked to her (sister-in-law) about it and thought if that happened to me, from what she had said, I would just have the boob off,” Megan said.

“I mean I wasn’t in a great panic about it, I just thought ‘oh well, I’ll just have a think about it and figure out what I was going to do’.” continued next page

Megan Wells (left) and Surrey Lamont know that a good sense of humour during tough times is vital.

Both live by the saying “you’ve got to laugh, because if you don’t laugh you cry”.

Checking your breasts is all about getting to know what your breasts normally look and feel like.

It’s as easy as TLC: Touch, Look, Check.

The best time to do a self-check is usually the week after your period, when your breast isn’t as tender or lumpy.

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An MRT (medical radiation technologist) or radiographer will place your breast between two plates on the mammogram machine.

The breast is then compressed to spread the tissue apart. It is best to go for a mammogram after your menstrual period has finished and any breast tenderness has subsided.

Normally two views are taken on a screening mammogram, one from the side and one from above. The images are reviewed by two radiologists (specialist doctors who use medical imaging to diagnose disease) who issue a report describing the findings. If anything abnormal is found you will be recalled for further investigation.

In making the decision to have a full mastectomy, the breast surgeon said to her to not let other people’s treatment cloud judgements of what they should have. She said every case was different.

“I can remember saying to her, ‘what is the point of other people sharing their hindsight if you don’t pay any attention to it’,” she said.

“I said, ‘no, I am quite sure that’s what I want to do, just take the breast off’.”

A main reason she didn’t want to settle for a lumpectomy was the frequent travelling up to Christchurch for radiation then chemotherapy.

“I thought that would be worse of an ordeal, and I only ever had little boobs,”

she said.

“I wasn’t too bothered about losing it, it took more convincing for them than it did me.”

After various specialist appointments figuring out what would be the next step, an implant was decided upon.

“I have a silicone implant and it really is a cold lump of a thing on my chest,” she said.

“There is no muscle, it’s very different to getting an implant to boost up what you have already got. You still have muscle and flesh and blood.

“Whereas it is just skin over the implant.”

Megan said one perk of the silicone

implant is that it looks good.

“It looks wonderful, but of course the other one is starting to look a bit saggy,” she said.

“To me, I knew there was no guarantee that I wouldn’t have to do chemo and radiation once I have the mastectomy, once it was removed.

“But there is a pretty good chance I wouldn’t because it was only grade one and it was tiny, because it was found nice and early because of the mammogram.”

Like her mother, Megan’s least favourite part of the process is the drainage tubes.

“Eventually I got the drain tube out and it was a yahoo day.

“It was only in for less than a week, but

it felt like it lasted forever.

“You can’t do much after the surgery so I spent many days sitting on the couch watching Call the Midwife, because I was just so exhausted.”

Months of recovery and several complications have led both Surrey and Megan to where they are now – cancer free and yearly check-ups with doctors.

Both Megan and Surrey hope that breast cancer becomes something that women talk about more, encouraging friends and loved ones to get their regular mammograms.

Both the mother and daughter duo now live by the five words that describe their journey the best, “well, it didn’t kill me”.

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RIBBON APPEAL

BRCA 1 – BRCA1 mutation predisposes women to breast and/or ovarian cancer. Breast cancer BRCA1 mutation carriers are often Grade 3, triple negative, and occur at a younger age than non-hereditary breast cancer.

BRCA 2 – BRCA2 mutation predisposes women to breast and ovarian cancers although the risk is lower than with BRCA1. It is frequently associated with male breast cancer.

TP53 – This is a tumour suppressor gene which normally helps to control cell division and growth.

Mutations in this gene can cause Li-Frau-

meni syndrome which confers an increased risk of breast cancer as well as other cancers such as leukaemia, sarcomas, brain and adrenal tumours.

PTEN – This gene normally regulates cell growth. Inherited mutations in this gene can lead to Cowden Syndrome. This can cause both benign and cancerous tumours in the breast and growths in the thyroid and digestive tract.

CDH – This is a tumour suppressor gene which is associated with hereditary diffuse gastric cancer.

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gene mutation also have a higher risk of developing lobular breast cancer.

STK11 – This is a tumour suppressor gene. Mutations in STK11 can lead to Peutz-Jegher’s Syndrome, which causes pigmented spots on the lips and in the mouth and polyps in the gastrointestinal tract. It also increases the risk of several cancers including breast and ovarian.

higher risk of breast cancer.

ATM – This gene is normally involved in DNA repair. People with one abnormal copy have an increased risk of breast cancer.

CHEK2 – This is another tumour suppressor gene, and mutations can also increase breast cancer risk.

PALB2 – This gene partners with BRCA2 to repair DNA and suppress tumours.

Mutations lead to a

133 women with undetected breast cancer in this lockdown.

And counting...

Join us, demand Government action on breast cancer now.

Sign the petition missingwomen.org.nz Get checked. Re-book your mammogram immediately.

Saturday, October 16, 2021 | YOU AND YOUR LIFESTYLE

A

t Alert Level 2 it is considered that your area is at low risk of community transmission.

Mid Canterbury pubs, cafes and restaurants are open and they need locals’ support!

Yes, you are still encouraged to use a mask until you sit down and staff have to wear face coverings while serving ... it’s all about extra safety precautions to keep customers safe.

And the best news is, there are no

longer restrictions on how many people can be seated inside or outside the premises at one time, as long as everybody can stay safely 1 metre apart.

The same old advice still stands – remain seated unless necessary, the physical separation and keep a record of where you visit.

Remember that staff are not to blame for restrictions and are doing their best to follow legal requirements and keep customers safe and happy.

You can go to cafes to get counter food to take away to eat.

It is up to the cafe to decide if customers can bring their own reusable cups or containers.

The cafe must have good hygiene processes if it allows them.

You must wear a face covering when picking up a takeaway order.

Advice from the Ministry of Health website

We have a full range of breads available – white and brown sandwich loaves, mixed grain and multiseed, ciabatta, brioche and sourdough, bread twists and focaccia, and gluten free bread.

Everything from a small cake slice to a huge slab to feed a large party! We have a range of cake slices, cream buns and donuts, whole mud cakes and many more sweet treats.

Pies are our specialty! So many flavours to choose from. Buy from the pie warmer or in bulk packs to take home.

We have savoury packs in the freezer, and family pies for an easy meal, so convenient and so popular!

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YOU AND YOUR LIFESTYLE | Saturday, October 16, 2021

FROM JAPAN with Miya Komatsu

T

hese days, various different diet styles are popular.

I have thought a lot about how to incorporate two health trends – gluten-free and low carb – into Japanese cooking.

You know, soy sauce normally contains gluten and we Japanese often add sugar to our savoury dishes.

I have seen tamari soy sauce, which is gluten free, at the supermarket, but I never use it in my cooking, mostly because it’s used for sashimi (a raw fish dish) in Japan.

When I was thinking of any ideas for this month’s recipes, I just thought why not give it a try?

Wow! It has a nice deep flavour and natural sweetness, so I don’t need to add much sugar for my cooking anymore – and that makes it lower in carbs.

I would like to share two recipes that use tamari soy sauce and a fluffy lowcarb cheesecake.

Happy cooking!

Miya Komatsu is a Japanese-trained chef and nutritionist who has made Ashburton her home.

Ganmodoki (tofu fritter) 2 servings

In Japan, many people like their ganmodoki simmered in a tasty broth.

300g tofu, I used Tonzu brand 1/4 carrot, cut into short and thin strips 1/4 C corn (frozen or tinned – if using tinned, drain well) 1/2 bunch spring onions, chop thinly 2T black sesame seeds 1 egg, beaten 2T cornflour (if you want more lower carb, use psyllium husk) 1T tamari Dipping sauce Mix 1T Tamari, with 1/2 t grated ginger You can also try tomato sauce, or plum sauce – any sauce really

– To drain tofu, wrap it with two paper kitchen towels and

– – – – –

microwave for 3 min. Pull out carefully (very hot) and place in a large bowl.

Break and mash the tofu with whisk or masher until smooth.

Add all other ingredients and mix well.

Heat 1cm oil in a large frypan.

Put the tofu mix in the oil, shaping into small flat rounds.

Cook about 3 min each side until golden brown. Drain excess oil on paper towel. Serve with dipping sauce.

Miya’s hint – You can use any other seasonal veges, like chopped asparagus etc.

– My mum used to cook this fritter in the oven, at 190200°C for 15-20 min until the fritters firmed. It’s good for a healthy after-school snack.

Saturday, October 16, 2021 | YOU AND YOUR LIFESTYLE

Pizza chicken 2 servings

1 large chicken breast, slice horizontally into 2 pieces 4T tamari soy sauce 1/4 onion, thinly sliced 1/4 red capsicum, thinly sliced A handful grated cheese 1/2 courgette, sliced using peeler

– Preheat the oven to 180°C. – Put the chicken in a medium bowl and pour over tamari. Marinate for 10 minutes.

– Heat oil in a small frypan over medium heat and saute the onion and capsicum until the onion is transparent.

– Add salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.

– Place the two pieces of chicken without excess marinade on the baking paper-lined baking tray.

– Topping with the sauteed onion and capsicum, then topped with grated cheese.

– Bake for around 10 min, until the chicken has fully cooked and the cheese has a nice colour.

– While the chicken is cooking, saute the courgette in a small frypan and add salt and pepper to taste.

– Serve on two plates with the sauteed courgette and chicken.

Souffle cheesecake 6 servings

400g cream cheese, softened in microwave for 30 sec 50g monk fruit sweetener 4 eggs

– Spray oil inside a 20cm cake tin and place baking paper on the bottom and side, then double wrap the bottom of the cake tin with tin foil.

– Separate egg yolk (into a small bowl) and white (into a large bowl).

– Put the cream cheese and about 1/3 of sweetener in a large bowl and mix with a whisk until smooth and creamy.

– Add the egg yolk in and mix well. Set aside.

– Preheat the oven to 100°C. – Whisk the egg white at high speed for 30 sec.

– Add the rest of the sweetener and whisk at low speed for about 1 min until soft peaks form.

– Add a scoop of meringue into the cream cheese bowl and mix well with a whisk.

– Add the rest of the meringue for three portions and fold gently each time with a spatula.

– Pour the mixture into the cake tin. Drop the cake tin on the counter to release air bubbles in the mixture.

– Add about 2cm lukewarm water into a roasting pan and place the cake tin with 2 layers of paper towel at bottom. Make sure the water level doesn’t come up higher than the tin foil.

– Bake for 80-90 min or until the centre is almost set.

– Turn oven temperature to 160°C, then bake another 15 min for colour.

– Turn the oven off and leave the cake in with the door closed for 30 min.

– Pull out the cake from the oven and let it cool at room temperature, then cover and transfer into the fridge for 6 hours or overnight.

– Enjoy the melt-in-your-mouth fluffy texture!

Miya’s hints – I used a sweetener for low carb, but you can use the same amount of caster sugar instead.

– Try adding 2Tb cocoa powder for chocolate cheesecake.

25

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YOU AND YOUR LIFESTYLE | Saturday, October 16, 2021

Days are getting warmer and longer, the garden is calling and there is plenty to do!

Houseplants With temperatures rising, now is an excellent time to add to your existing houseplant collection. Garden centres are full of interesting specimens to grow indoors, and many are available online. Always consider what you want to achieve with your indoor plants (decoration, interest, screening etc), before choosing the new additions to your “family”. Children can learn about plants by growing their own pet plants such as small succulents, cacti, baby houseplants, and air plants – these are all easy to cultivate.

Vegetable garden October is the traditional month for planting summer vegetables, including beans, beetroot, carrots, celery, corn, courgettes, cucumbers, leeks, lettuces, melons, onions, radish, pumpkin, tomato, and zucchini.

Rotate areas in your garden for main crops and consider extending both the area of your vegetable garden and the range of vegetables that you cultivate.

Be liberal with the use of compost when preparing existing and new vegetable gardens. Stagger plantings throughout summer to ensure continuous harvesting.

Now is an excellent time to add to your existing houseplant collection.

Tie up climbing roses as they will put on enormous growth.

Flowering annuals Summer flowering annuals to grow include alyssum, asters, cornflowers, californian poppy, cosmos, livingston daisy, lobelia, marigolds, nemesia, petunia, portulacas, phlox, salvias, sweet peas, and zinnias. For maximum impact, experiment by planting single species en masse’ or try combinations of different species. Prepare areas thoroughly before planting by adding fresh compost and always use new container mix in tubs and containers.

Berries and strawberries Boysenberries, blackberries, raspberries and loganberries should all be growing rapidly. Keep training new canes on supports or wire. Where there is excessive growth, remove any surplus canes.

Mulch around strawberry plants with peastraw or clean crushed bark to provide a clean bed for the fruit. At the end of the month, cover the strawberry bed with bird netting otherwise our feathered friends will quickly devour the crop!

Feed your berry plants with fertiliser every five to six weeks and add a layer of much around plants. Be careful not to over fertilise which can cause more leaves than fruit – always follow the manufacturer’s recommended application rate on the bag.

Fruit trees Apply fruit tree fertiliser around all fruit trees, including newly-planted trees as this promotes the establishment of a strong root system. Feed at six weekly in-

Stagger plantings throughout summer to ensure continuous harvesting.

tervals until mid-December, recommencing in mid-February through till autumn.

Fertiliser will also promote healthy young plant growth that will in future years become fruiting wood.

Herbs Towards the end of October plant fresh herbs such as chives, mint, parsley, rosemary, sage and thyme. Herbs will thrive in a hot, sunny position with light, free-draining soil. They also grow well in containers, but make sure they have enough drainage holes. Leave basil planting until early November when temperatures are warmer.

Roses Start applying rose fertiliser and repeat every five to six weeks through till mid-December. Keep regularly dead-

Towards the end of October plant fresh herbs such as chives, mint, parsley, rosemary, sage and thyme.

heading (removing finished flowers) to encourage more blooms. Tie up climbing roses as their rate of growth in October can be phenomenal.

Lawns Grass is now growing and will require regular mowing (make sure your lawnmower blades are nice and sharp). On established lawns, apply lawn fertiliser every four to five weeks from October until Christmas, recommencing from late February to late April. Avoid fertilising lawns when they are very new – don’t start until they have a mature appearance.

Any patching repairs of existing lawns can be safely carried out. If sowing a new lawn, check with local seed suppliers for advice on what will grow best in your area based on soil type, region and use. The

key to successfully laying any lawn lies in preparation. If importing new topsoil on to your property, ensure it is excellent quality, pliable and weed-free. Water new lawns regularly to ensure the soil remains moist, but do not overwater.

Container gardens It is amazing what can be cultivated in containers; herbs, flowers, salad vegetables are simply the beginning of the container gardening success story! Always use fresh container or potting mix when planting into containers. These mixes are free draining and include vital nutrients for successful growth. Remember to check that the containers have adequate drainage holes.

For more gardening advice or information on the wide range of Daltons products visit www.daltons.co.nz.

Saturday, October 16, 2021 | YOU AND YOUR LIFESTYLE

27

FREE Daltons Tomato planting and care prize pack

We have a Daltons Tomato Planting and Care prize pack worth over $85 to give away, containing 2 x Garden Time Tomato Mix 30L, and a Garden Time Tomato Fertiliser (1.5kg), Daltons Organic Bioinoculant Granules 250g, Garden Time 1L Seafeed Plus NPK, plus a pair of comfortable Red Back gardening gloves from Omni Products www.omniproducts. co.nz.

Be in to win Email goodies@theguardian.co.nz with Daltons Tomato prize pack

‘

in the subject heading, or write to Tomato pack giveaway, Box 77, Ashburton.

... control the aphids by spraying water from your garden hose at high pressure through a misting nozzle

• • •

CONDITIONS OF ENTRY:

You must provide a gardening question for the Daltons experts to answer.

Please include your address and phone number in email and letter options!

Giveaway entries must be received by November 1.

For more information on Daltons products visit www.daltons.co.nz

All questions supplied are entered into the draw to win a Daltons prize pack, but the Guardian reserves the right to choose which questions and answers will be published.

Daltons post the prize to our lucky winner.

Debbie Hinkley is this month’s winner with the following question: Which Daltons product would be safe to use on swan plants with butterflies on them for next season.

S

wan plants are extremely robust plants requiring little human intervention to survive and thrive!

A light side-dressing of 7in1 All Purpose Fertiliser in spring will encourage strong, healthy growth. Add a layer of 7in1 Mulch and Feed around plants to retain soil moisture and suppress weed growth.

While aphids can be a problem, chemical use may kill your monarch butterfly caterpillars. Instead,

control the aphids by spraying water from your garden hose at high pressure through a misting nozzle. This should easily dislodge them. Repeat this at regular intervals two to three times a day initially.

This time of year, make sure you’re keeping up with the removal of snails and slugs as they feed on swan plants.

The best time to hunt them is at night when they are most active. For more helpful information on monarch but-

terflies and their food sources, visit the Moths and Butterflies of New Zealand Trust website: www.nzbutterflies.org.nz.

Top tip: Caterpillars can strip a plant very quickly, so stagger your plantings of swan plants to ensure a constant supply of food throughout the season.

You may also find it helpful to read our free How to Guides at www.daltons.co.nz/how-to-guides

28

Ashburton Guardian Saturday, October 16, 2021

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