Mind, Body and Soul

Mind, Body & Soul Sit less and keep moving

Tanith Brown, 52, partnership co-ordinator at the Big Cat Sanctuary in Smarden, is a picture of health but it has hardly been plain sailing, as she explains….

Photography: Chris Lawson

How are you?

I am very well, thank you. I am so busy at the moment at the Big Cat Sanctuary – but, then again, I’m always busy. I had a hip replacement three weeks before we went into lockdown and I was furloughed from the sanctuary, so being cooped up was not natural for me. I need to keep moving. So, I started working behind the bar at the Black Horse in Thurnham just to keep my steps up.

How is your health generally?

Very good generally. Can’t complain. I have quite a history, though.

Have you ever had any major illnesses?

When I was 27, I was diagnosed with a pituitary tumour right there in the middle of the brain. The pituitary gland controls hormones so, whilst it was benign, the repercussions of the tumour on my health were significant, not least on my reproductive system. It was uncertain I could have children. So, it made me all the more determined to After 10 hours of surgery, it causes you have a child. I’d got married and whilst the pregnancy with Darcy (now in his early 20s) was problem-free, my marriage wasn’t and think about your own I got divorced when he was about two. I’ve mortality – you only brought Darcy up as a single mum and that get one shot, make it means I have always had to work, which has a good one… not been a problem. When he was four, I booked into the London Clinic in Harley Street to have the tumour removed privately. I had been on drugs to try and shrink it but they made me feel terrible. It meant 10 hours of surgery. It causes you think about your own mortality – you only get one shot, make it a good one.

Do you take any medicines?

I take a drug for a diabetic condition related to the tumour problem and hormone replacement therapy for the same reason. It’s not an issue – just a couple of tablets at night.

Have you ever considered herbal remedies?

No, not as such. I’m not against them, either. But I take supplements every day – turmeric, vitamin D, vitamin B12, multi-vitamins/iron and biotin.

Ever needed an osteopath or chiropractor?

Yes, once – I went to see someone at Southcote in Maidstone. I had a bad back after I had Darcy. It just never seemed to get better, so I booked into see the osteopath and it worked and, thankfully, I have never had to go back.

What, if any, exercise do you take?

I do exercise. Before I had my hip replacement I used to run around Mote Park, which is near my home in Downswood, in Maidstone. To be honest, I hated doing it, but it did make me feel better afterwards. These days, after the hip op I have to be careful of the stress I put on my load bearing joints. But I am always on the go and I do a lot of walking, including at work at the Big Cat Sanctuary (where I have been for 12 years), giving tours and the like. I am an outdoors type, definitely.

What are your vices?

I like a glass of wine or a G&T. I used to smoke but not anymore. I have been a vegetarian since I was 19 and vegan for a couple of years. I long ago made the connection between animals and meat and food which made me very uncomfortable. When I was child, I hand reared a lamb. Maybe that was it. I grew up with animals all around me in Hollingbourne. I have few issues if farming is sustainable but intense livestock-rearing for meat is something I really do not like.

What is the best piece of health advice anyone has ever given you?

Not one thing, in particular. I suppose whoever told me to sit less and move more.

Would you like to live forever?

I don’t think so but there is still so much to do. The world is changing so much, though, and I am not sure I’d want to be around for it.