Food as Medicine: The mother of two didn’t give up after she was diagnosed with incurable brain cancer in 2020. Here, she explains how she’s using food to stay well
When Alannah Sheehan was diagnosed with brain cancer aged 32, her entire world shattered. Her and her husband Martin had just managed to buy the house they were renting after it was put up for sale, and she was recovering from giving birth to her daughter, Phoebe.
The following year, Alannah became pregnant with Phoebe. What should have been a happy time turned into a nightmare when the house the young family were renting was put up for sale. “It was so stressful. I was working 14 hours a day as a chef. Me and my husband were basically not seeing each other to cut down on childcare.”
Alannah stayed the night at her friend’s and the next morning, she was walking into the living room with Phoebe in her arms. Suddenly, Alannah felt like she turned to rock. “I couldn’t move, I couldn’t speak, it was like I was being pulled down to the ground. I tried so hard to say ‘help’ but I couldn’t. I knew I would fall and was so scared I would crush Phoebe who was only tiny.”
Surgeons managed to remove 90 per cent of the tumour and after a short recuperation on the ward, Alannah was sent home to wait for her biopsy results. Returning home was incredibly tough. Alannah’s head was partially shaved, she had a large scar, and she was on a lot of medication – but she also had to try and take care of three young children.
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