Though NF month is now over, we held
some GREAT events to make 2012 memorable! We really BLEW THE LID OF NF during May 2012 to let the
world know about Neurofibromatosis and the great work done by the Littlest
Tumor Foundation (LTF)! We kicked off the month with our awesome “Scream”
picture letting the world know about Neurofibromatosis. Then we had our 24-hour
up and down College Avenue
in Appleton. We had some
interesting interactions with the bar crowd…
Then we unveiled our insightful
Human Health and Services with an insightful interview with Tracy and Sami. There
was a great Derby Party here in Appleton
to show support of NF research. Throughout May we papered races in the Fox
Valley and Green
Bay area to make people know more about our sam-i-am
race.
We were on multiple news outlets in the Fox Valley area such as on three radio stations and three TV stations to let the world know about NF and our great events! We finally got
to close NF month with our famous sam-i-am walk/run tumors I do not like them
at Plamann Park.
Here are some pictures that we can reminisce about the fun we had. Stay tuned
for our next events coming up in June! 
The
Copper Rock provided us with a place to stay for the night as well as great coffee.
We even got a ½ page article in the Appleton Post-Crescent. Over the 24-hour
walk, 30 people joined us as we raised awareness about NF. Even some onlookers
joined us for our cause! We are dedicated to raising awareness about NF and of
course, having a little fun to. We want to say THANK YOU to all our walkers and
all of the people who gave donations. We want to especially thank the Copper
Rock coffee house who donated coffee and a place for walkers to rest between
shifts. The walk is just one of the many events that are occurring this month
to raise awareness about NF. Stay tuned for more event dates and times! 
This
event also marks the end of my internship with the Littlest Tumor
Foundation. What an experience! If I had to pick the most important
thing that I am taking away from this experience, it would be this:
Everyone wants to be a part of something bigger than themselves, even if it’s
in a little way.
The seven day whole foods plant-based challenge is over; let’s see how the interns did. Here at LTF, we like to have people to come out of their comfort zones and try something new! They all wrote about their experiences and how they were able to do it. Some of them found the whole foods plant-based challenge easy, while others found it difficult. In the end however, they all felt renewed and more aware of the importance of a healthy diet.
Boyd
As apart of The Littlest Tumor Foundation’s healthy New Year campaign, the interns and I had to go vegan for a week. As a frequent meat eater, I never thought I would be able to go vegan for the seven days. When my week started, the biggest problem I faced was finding food that I would actually enjoy while meeting the vegan standards. After roaming Wal-Mart for a good hour, I finally had a basket full of food and was ready to start my adventure.
The main food that I ate, and did not even realize was vegan, was whole grain spaghetti. Since I frequently work out, spaghetti and other vegetable dishes gave me the carbohydrates and protein I needed to sustain my energy levels. Another difficulty I faced was finding a dish that was vegan when I went out to eat. Two days in, I got extremely hungry and I was not at home to eat the meals I had made. Not knowing what to eat I caved, and ate a meal containing meat. I felt bad afterwards and told myself that I was going to commit to this challenge no matter what. All in all, the seven whole foods plant-based challenge was not as bad as I thought it was going to be. I learned how to cook a few healthy and delicious dishes that I will never forget, and at the end of the week I was feeling pretty good.
Kimberly
Journal diary of Vegan Efforts by Kimberly Klessig
Sunday, January 22nd
I am a Master’s intern for the Littlest Tumor Foundation, and was given a challenge: 7 day plant-based, whole food challenge! I have always been a healthy eater in the past, but was excited to be given this challenge. On the other hand, I was a little uncertain about this specific kind diet. So I began by doing research and was AMAZED to find out what I/we as a society consume on a regular basis. All of the processed food and added ingredients makes our food mixed with all un-natural ingredients. Since today was my first day to start the challenge, I decided first to go do some grocery shopping. I did some research online of recipes and when I went to the store bought a lot of veggies and fruits! My food intake today consisted of a lot of veggies, a veggie burger and a sweet potato.
Saturday, January 28th
I meet up with some friends for supper tonight. I ended up having a veggie burger. Once again I needed to ask the server for special cooking instructions. One of my friends is a vegetarian (she has ever since her senior year in college). She and I discussed her reasons as to why and she expressed her feelings as to “It just makes me feel better, I feel happy and healthy”. Her positivity was inspiring!
Sunday, January 29th
Today was the last day of the challenge. I have learned a lot in this journey to a new diet! I over all was pleasantly surprised to find I had more energy, felt like I was able to find many options to cook and felt full and not overly stuffed like I sometimes would in eating dairy and meat food options. This challenge opened my eyes to a new way of eating and encourages my efforts to continue this healthy way of eating!
Emily
This past fall I was offered an internship at the Littlest Tumor Foundation (LTF) based out of Appleton, WI. I had never heard of LTF but I was excited nonetheless. Little did I know my boss, Tracy, is a woman on a mission. She has me performing the regular intern tasks such as thank you cards, cleaning up, and printing labels as well as giving me the opportunity to expand my portfolio and resume. What Tracy has also given me, whether intentional or not, is a whole new perspective of the food I eat everyday. Tracy’s son Sami was diagnosed with Neurofibromatosis (NF) a couple years ago. NF is a disease that allows nerve cells in a person’s body to turn into tumors because their tumor suppressor no longer functions correctly. Studies have shown that the growth of these tumors can be halted and even prevented by eating a plant-based diet, also known as vegan.
To educate myself on this disease and vegan lifestyle I was given a few videos to watch: Crazy Sexy Cancer, Forks Over Knives and True Life: I have NF. All of these movies were powerful in their own way but Crazy Sexy Cancer affected me the most. I cried, laughed, cried again, and then felt happy all in a two hour time frame; what I failed to realize at first is that I was also educated. What was I eating every day? Would I really feel better eating a vegan diet? How would those around me react?
One day I decided to answer these burning questions. Monday, December 5, 2011 was the day I started my vegan trial run. I no longer would eat meat, eggs, or dairy products. Basically, anything that comes from an animal is off limits. I would eat veggies, fruit, smoothies packed full of protein and nuts as my diet. I also would take a multivitamin and an iron supplement. The iron supplement is because I am anemic but the multivitamin is to make up for my lack of Vitamin B12. I knew from the beginning that it would be a learning process. I knew that I would mess up, learn about myself and those around me, and test my mental endurance. Here is my story on the transition from a cheese-loving, meat-eating college student to a vegan.
Contrary to what you may think, I am not trying the Vegan lifestyle because of animals. I am not an animal activist; I am doing this for one reason- my health. I will not be a Vegan in every sense of the word- only in my eating habits. Prior to this change, I considered myself a healthy eater. I always got wheat bread, low fat foods, I ate fruits when I could and I gave myself a few “cheat” meals throughout the week. I also exercised like nobody’s business- I run in half marathons and train for them quite vigorously. No matter how “healthy” I was eating, I was still always tired. I would fall asleep studying or feel really awful at random times. I thought it was the life of a normal college student, and maybe it is, but I didn’t like it. I wanted to feel healthier, I wanted to have more energy, and I wanted to control what I was eating. That is why I decided to eat a plant-based diet.
I may not keep this Vegan lifestyle forever or even an extended period of time but I am going to give it a try. The hardest thing for me has been reactions from my family and friends. After telling Tracy, my boss at Littlest Tumor Foundation, that I was trying the Vegan lifestyle she warned me that I would receive some wrath from those around me- she was right. When I first told my boyfriend, Brandon, he didn’t like it one bit. He was worried- worried I wouldn’t eat right, worried I would be unhappy, and worried I would impose it on him. He got plain upset that I was choosing to try Vegan. After a few minutes of banter, we finally came to the conclusion that he wasn’t mad I was going Vegan, he just didn’t understand it. Since I was new (and still am new) I didn’t have all the answers to his questions. What can you eat? What about protein? How can you not eat meat or dairy? Are you getting all the vitamins you need? What about eating out? What about the organic food- that’s expensive right? And the underlying thought- If you expect me to do this, you’re crazy!
My grandmother was also hesitant to the idea when I told her. “That costs way more money,” she said. I knew this would be an issue with a lot of people so I thought long and hard about it. If I have money to spend on jewelry, clothes, hair products, and shoes, I should have the money to invest in my health. What better to sacrifice for than your own physical well-being? I told her yes, Vegan is a more expensive lifestyle but if I am going to invest in something, shouldn’t it be my health?
I know I will be faced with questions and concerns as this comes out to more of my family and friends. I really haven’t told many people, primarily because I don’t want their negativity. Brandon, shortly after our talk, supported my change. He encourages me to keep with it and asks me questions as he is genuinely interested. Not knowing what is in food is something people have become accustomed to- so the fact that I look at labels, ask what is in foods, or opt not to eat something because I don’t know its contents is something totally new to Brandon. I hope that the rest of my family and friends accept this change as well as he has. I guess that is partially why I am writing this blog: to help my family and friends understand, to educate others, and give myself some time for self-reflection.
The Price of Health in Our Society:
Shopping vegan has completely changed my perspective on the health of society. Every time I go to the store I find myself leaving upset. Why? Well, the selection of vegan foods is very small compared to the non-vegan foods. It is so upsetting to look at cereal and pay up to three times as much for a healthy option. Everything in the organic section is extremely expensive when compared to the regular foods. Also the convenience factor is just not there for vegans. It is possible for me to spend less money on a meal buying vegan but this usually means I have to spend way more time preparing these meals. When I was learning to cook for this new lifestyle, I basically lived in the kitchen as these recipes take time. Of course, they got faster as I learned but they were still much slower than a regular meal. There are very few grab-and-go options for vegans which is a definite struggle in this face-paced world.
This link (click here) shows how much cheaper unhealthy food is compared to healthier options. This is not a vegan comparison but this is the point I am trying to make about how society molds us into buying unhealthy foods.
As you can see, the amount we must spend to buy healthy foods vastly surpasses the amount we spend on unhealthy foods. How can any person, especially in this economy- and with a family- justify spending 2-3 times the amount they could spend. Society is so short-sighted that health is put on the back burner and the amount of money saved is most important. Also, many people can't afford to buy organic foods which forces them to pack their bodies with preservatives. The majority of people feel entitled to cheap foods and products which means that they feel anything “overpriced” is, simply, not worth it. Food venders take advantage of this entitlement and continue to push the limits. They add more and more unhealthy chemicals in order to make products cheaper and, along the way, unhealthier. Someone needs to put their foot down and demand higher standards. I’d say we deserve it.
These “overpriced” foods are what fuel our bodies and give us energy. The amount of preservatives and other chemicals in the cheaper foods is sickening, literally. Think about it, look at our society- the world as a whole is bigger than ever. We are doing less and eating more. We are slow, we are tired and we are, in all honesty, killing ourselves. Disease rates are extremely high, which we try to fix with medications. If we could just go back to the roots of the problem- unhealthy eating- I bet we could fix a lot, not all, but a lot of health problems in people.
Bottom line:
Now I am not here to persuade anyone to take on the Vegan lifestyle. It is a commitment that has to come from your heart- I’m still not 100% there. I just want to make you think about what you are putting in your body. Yes, chips taste great- my personal favorites are Nacho Cheese Doritos- but what do they do for your body? They fill your body with empty calories and little nutrition. Am I saying never eat chips? Absolutely not! I am saying that people need to opt for an apple more times than they do for chips. And the same thinking goes for any other food. I have recently started to read a book called "In Defense of Food" by Michael Pollan. His introduction says it all: "Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants." Simple, sweet and to the point. He also said that a little meat and dairy products won't kill anyone, but it should be seen as a side dish instead of a main course. It seems so simple, but yet we all struggle so much.
Mardy
So today begins the whole foods plant-based diet challenge with the Littlest Tumor Foundation, for which I am an intern. I looked at my fridge and not much was vegan or could be made vegan. Therefore I had to go and buy $55 worth of whole foods plant-based diet. Okay, so it sounds easy, right? Well, seeing that we are based out of Wisconsin, it's not. Dairy is in many things even my much beloved tortilla chips, so this next week is going to be interesting. I don't stand in any opposition to this, other than the fact that I generally don't have time to do my own cooking. I have two internships and a job that I am at, so the time I have to make all these dishes is greatly diminished. I know this week will go well though, because I do actually like to cook. Today I'm eating pasta with mushrooms, green onions, olives, red pepper relish and pico de gallo (of course!).
The only thing that I wasn't happy about was the fact that I had to give up cookies- many of which have either egg or dairy-based products in them.
It's been five days since I've eaten meat last, but last night I had a BIG issue- going out to eat. So the story goes like this, I offered to take two of my friends, Dane and Jordan, to Wal-Mart for their weekly grocery shopping. In the end, we all tried to figure out what we were going to do later. Then someone mentioned that we should eat out after, my other friend and I agreed. Then it came to cross my mind...what about this challenge? I wondered if I would give into temptation and eat something with meat in it, being that I was used to eating meat at a burger joint. Oddly enough, one of my other friends, Jordan, actually had been a vegan and vegetarian in the past but now he had returned to eating meat. Then I asked my other friend, Dane, who works there, if there had been something like a veggie burger at all and he responded there was.
I was delighted. I had did find the veggie burger on the menu and I mentally rejoiced. I didn't know if the dijon mustard was vegan or not; I was too chicken to ask, Then the three of us went on about how Jordan had connections in all parts of Oshkosh. He was also discussed how he had many jobs ranging from paranormal investigator and to being a worker with the forest department. After about 15 minutes later, we got our food. My veggie burger was really good along with the endless steak fries. The steak fries weren't probably a good idea, but they were tasty none-the-less; I drank water instead of soda to make up for the steak fry indulgence. I am glad they had the veggie burger on the menu, that's something McDonald's needs to do. YUM!
As you have seen, the interns had both easy and difficult times trying the whole foods plant-based diet. Yet in the end, they all left with a more developed conscience on both diet and eating. While the blog posts progressed, one can see how the interns began to understand the importance of making healthy choices and the after effects of them. In the end, the interns walked away with a feeling of accomplishment during the whole foods plant-based diet challenge.
Since the time of my breast cancer diagnosis, we have talked openly with our five year-old daughter. While the personal nature of this circumstance made the conversations emotionally challenging, my professional experience as an adult and pediatric hospice nurse gave me both the tools and confidence to ensure that we gave her the developmentally appropriate answers.
Right after my treatment finished, our daughter has been revisiting a lot of the original questions as well as asking some new ones. For example, the other day while driving to school, Finally Five asked, “Do you think that your cancer will come back?” GULP.
So, I thought I’d take this opportunity to share with you her questions and our answers. These questions tend to be typical of most children affected by a cancer diagnosis.
Honesty is the first chapter of the book of wisdom.
The first time I had falafel was in fall 2008 at the Caspian Kitchen, a now defunct restaurant, near the UW-Oshkosh college campus. The cook offered me falafel on pita bread instead of the usual gyros and I accepted. Prior to this, I had never had falafel in my life. As I ate it I thought about how good it tasted and how much could be learned from it. I vaguely knew about falafel, such as the fact that it is generally eaten throughout the Near and Middle East. With the closing of the Caspian Kitchen in 2009 that was my last encounter with this tasty and healthy dish. Fast forward to November 2011 with the Littlest Tumor Foundation.
As many of you know, LTF not only strives to find a treatment for the disorder neurofibromatosis, but also stresses a whole food plant-based diet. I was thinking that out of one of the days of the week, I would try to at least of one vegan dish. Yet, I was curious as to what the “main” dish would be. I was sick of eating noodles and vegetable soup, and I remembered that we had pre-made falafel mix at the Oshkosh Pick ’n Save because I had seen a box while facing groceries one day. I had considered driving to Appleton’s Gyros Kabob for falafel, but that I didn’t know the exactly location and I figured I’d have a good learning experience making it myself. For that week’s shopping, I went down to Pick ’n Save to get some falafel to be the “main dish” for the following lunches and dinners. I found the box of falafel and now I could make my own falafel.
Falafel proved to be a very good break from animal-based foods. I found that mixing the water and falafel mix very fun. Instead of mixing it with a spoon, I used my fingers and mashed it together like dough. I felt like a kid again. This was also the first time that I had done any pan-frying in my life as well. I also enjoyed rolling the mix into balls, because it reminded me of making cookies. For those who are concerned with the frying of falafel, a person can bake them in the oven 40 minutes at 425 and being flipped every 10 minutes as well. One of the most amazing things about falafel mix is that you can CLEARLY READ all of the ingredients on the box. There are no large words at all with twenty-something letters that only a professor can read. Falafel also is not only vegan but also kosher as well and it also is a great source of iron, fiber, low in fat without saturated or trans-fat. Who ever knew something so delicious could also be so good! As soon as I was done cooking it, I couldn’t wait to try it. I put some hummus (instead of tzatziki sauce) on pita bread along with some lettuce, onion and tomato, and topped it off with the falafel I had made. It was phenomenal. At long last, I experienced the same wonderful taste that I had from three years prior! I was so grateful to have found it once again.
I would highly recommend falafel to anyone looking for a great and healthy alternative to a meat-based sandwich and also to those who maybe are considering becoming vegetarian or even vegan. Perhaps, falafel could bring a family together. It could easily be made with children for the part with the mixing of the water and mix. But we can leave the frying (or baking) to the parents! Falafel is a terrific and healthy food that can be easily made by anyone and a great addition to anyone’s diet.
