February 3, 2025
Hi Friends, Chef AJ here with an update on my upcoming treatment:
For those of you who are interested in following my cancer journey, I have some good news! On Thursday, I will be starting six months of cancer treatment. I will be having infusions of a drug called Keytruda, the same medication that President Jimmy Carter took, which enabled him to live another 10 years with metastatic melanoma.
Rest assured, this is not chemotherapy—not that there’s anything wrong with that if people choose to have it—but I just didn’t think I would be able to handle it. This is an infusion, but it is immunotherapy, which supports your immune system rather than wiping it out.
There could be side effects, but compared to chemotherapy, they tend to be much milder. I will be getting these treatments every three weeks for six months.
In the meantime, I’m focusing on my seven foundations for thriving in the face of cancer, making sure I incorporate all of them into my life every day. This has helped me focus on what truly matters.
7 Foundations for Thriving in the Face of Cancer:
1. Faith 2. Family 3. Fitness 4. Foods 5. Forgiveness 6. Friends 7. Fun
I really wanted to do a live stream of my treatment from the infusion center, but HIPAA laws prohibit it, so I’m hoping to at least record it so that people who have to undergo cancer treatment in the future will be less afraid.
When I was receiving my patient education, they gave me a tour of the infusion center. The vending machine contained nothing but processed crap, and what they serve to the patients is a choice of cheese or pudding. I was appalled and posted this on social media, and I got a call from Sutter Hospital asking me to join the patient nutrition advisory board. So you see, whatever your situation in life, there’s always some good that comes out of it.
What lemons has life recently given you that you can make lemonade out of?
Love & Kale, Chef AJ.