My husband has renal cell carcinoma.
There. I said it.
It’s in his right kidney, a tumor that has grown out of the kidney and invaded about 20% of his liver, and 3 lymph nodes nearby.
Our whole life has changed.
We found out on March 31st, a pouring down rain, extremely dark and dreary Friday afternoon. He told me on the phone as I was out and about all day at client meetings. I was heading home and had stopped in the Vitamin Shoppe, and literally sobbed on this poor sales associate’s shoulder.
For several days, I couldn’t even tell anyone other than immediate family.
He had started on two chemo drugs and after just 5 days we were back in the emergency room as it was all too strong for his body. We are back home now.
He does not like anything to eat. So totally new, so unlike him. Everything seems to make him gag. We all are reading, researching and trying everything.
Does anyone have any ideas?
I won’t bore you with all the details as we start this new chapter in our lives. I will say that this is a nasty, nasty disease.
But we are determined to beat this thing. Our youngest son is getting married in Poland in July. We need to be there. And we will be. They are getting married in a palace in the southwest countryside and I keep telling Steve we will be there, dancing under the stars.
For a while, in between the two hospital stays, on Easter Sunday, he liked this hummus. My nephew Adam said this was the best hummus he had ever tasted.
I hope you’ll like it too.
Your health is precious and LOVE is an important component of it. Make this with LOVE and enjoy!!
THE BEST HUMMUS
1 lb. dried chickpeas
2 tsp. baking soda, divided
I head of garlic, cut in half, roasted with olive oil, salt and pepper
1 small clove of fresh garlic, finely minced and smashed with a bit of salt – OPTIONAL
⅓ cup fresh lemon juice, or more to taste
11/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/3 cup tahini, plus 2 Tbs. (I used Soom – delicious!!)
2 tsp. ground cumin, plus more for serving
Fresh ground pepper
11/2 Tbs. olive oil, plus more for serving and roasting garlic
3 Tbs. ice water
Rinse and drain chickpeas and check for any foreign debris and remove. In a large pot or Le Creuset Dutch oven, cover chickpeas with 3” of cold water and stir in 1 tsp. baking soda, cover and let soak overnight. The chickpeas should double in size.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Take the whole head of garlic and slice in half, parallel to the root end. Place on aluminum foil, drizzle the cut sides with a teaspoon of olive oil, some salt and fresh ground pepper. Close up the foil tight and place in an ovenproof dish and roast for about 25 minutes, until garlic is very soft and tender. Open up foil to cool when done.
Drain and rinse the chickpeas twice. Combine the soaked chickpeas and remaining 1 tsp. baking soda back in the large Dutch oven and add cold water to cover by at least 2″. Bring to a boil, skimming surface as needed. Reduce heat to medium-low, partially cover, and simmer until chickpeas are very, very tender, 45–65 minutes.
Remove the pot from the heat and let the chickpeas sit in the water for at least 30 minutes or even longer. Drain out 3 ½ cups of chickpeas and set aside to cool. You will have extra left over. Save the extra chickpeas in their juices in the refrigerator and use on a salad or toss with other vegetables. You can also freeze them in their juices at this point too and make more hummus at another time.
In a food processor, place drained chickpeas, all of the roasted garlic, (squeeze it out of the skins), lemon juice, salt, cumin, some fresh pepper and olive oil, and process until puréed. Only add the fresh garlic if you really, really love garlic.
Add tahini and pulse to combine. With motor running, add 3 Tbs. ice water and process until the mixture is very smooth, pale, and thick. Taste and season with salt and/or more lemon juice as desired.
Spoon hummus into a shallow bowl and drizzle liberally with olive oil. Top with more ground cumin. Serve with pita chips and raw vegetables. I like celery and fennel sticks.
Thinly sliced
Belgian Endive with Smoked Trout Pâté
A great bean dip
Spicy Maple Glazed Nuts
Rufus Teague Roasted Pecans
I am so sorry to hear about your husband’s cancer. I can only imagine what it must feel like to be plunged into this new and unexpected chapter in your lives. Be strong and stay positive. His tastes will change constantly with the chemo. Usually fairly bland foods tend to be best, custards, mashed potatoes. Try cheesecake.
Sending you lots of hugs and kisses.
Nadia recently posted…Poulet Basquaise – chicken with peppers, ham, tomatoes and onions
Thank you Nadia.
Cheesecake!! That’s a brilliant idea! – Thank you!
I love hummus, definitely I can dip anything on that
Thanks Raymund.
So sorry to hear your news. I have the big C too but, thanks to some great medication it isn’t causing me too many problems at the moment. I think it is far worse for our wives.
We eat quite a bit of humus but till now shop bought. Yours sounds great. Will it freeze?
Thank you – so glad to hear this encouragement!
Don’t know about freezing the hummus, but you can certainly freeze the cooked chickpeas – but I really don’t see why not. This tastes so much better than any store bought and I’m sure more nutritious.
Love hummus and this looks like a fabulous recipe. I am always ready to make this dish and would love to try your recipe.
I know what it is like to deal with serious illness, so I know how you and your husband are feeling. Modern medicine is great and most of us survive quite well. I had stage 4 ovarian cancer 24 years ago and after 2 long rounds of chemo and multiple operations, it went away. I am still here.
Yes food takes awful sometimes and sometimes you can’t keep it down. Those days are not comfortable. I tried to keep busy and think about how the chemo would get rid of this disease. Sooner than later you find foods that you can tolerate and want to eat them. So, Mary Frances, keep making that hummus.
Thank you so much Jovina! I didn’t know that about you but thank God you’re still here providing us with all the wonderful Italian knowledge and recipes!!
I really hope to meet you in person some day.
xoxo, Mary
Hi Mary,
Craig and I were sadden to hear this and are sending positive thoughts and vibes to you and Steve. When my sister had cancer she found The Cancer Fighting Kitchen by Rebecca Katz and mat Edelman helped her. http://www.barnesandnoble.com/p/cancer-fighting-kitchen-rebecca-katz/1100396656/2676537173241?st=PLA&sid=BNB_DRS_Marketplace+Shopping+Books_00000000&2sid=Google_&sourceId=PLGoP1359&k_clickid=3×1359
Thank you Diane. I will definitely check out this site!
Thanks for sharing the link. I have posted the book information on Facebook so who knows how many people you may have helped! 🙂
Diane – one of my sister-in-laws sent me the book. Making Anytime Bars today!! Thanks again!
Mary, I’m so so sorry to hear this and can’t even imagine how tough it must be for you. Thank goodness you have each other and you seem like such a good team. You are both in my thoughts and I’m cheering for you guys to be celebrating with your son in July 🙂
This hummus honestly does look like the BEST. I think I’d just want to eat it with a spoon!
Thank you so very much Sues!! We need all that cheering… 🙂
Oh Mary I’m so sorry to hear that but I’m sending you all strength to fight this. Health and life is precious. I hope he and your family are ok! xxx
Thank you so much Lorraine – and thank you for sending the strength – please keep it coming.
Oh Mary Ann, I difficult it is for you and your husband . Cancer is such a nasty intruder but it can be defeated. Like Nadia said, bland foods are the best. Maybe he would like somebpudding. My friend used to make it for me and I loved it.
I apologize for all the mistakes.
Thank you Gerlinde – great idea on the bread pudding!!
Oh Mary, I am so sorry to hear about your husband. I have a looong family history of cancer patients and many of them are survivors. My mother in law is a breast cancer survivor, unfortunately, it hit back in lungs and she is not even a smoker. Everyone said it is a matter of a year or less but she is a FIGHTER, and March marked her 1 year since we discovered this. It is vicious, mean and long journey but never lose hope. I’ve heard alot about vitamin B17, so you might want to check it out. The most important thing is to ALWAYS have hope and always be positive, these are just our cells going the wrong way so be determined to bring it back to the right track. I’ll keep you and your husband in my prayers.
Thank you so much Amira – thank you for the prayers. I will check out B-17. 🙂
I somehow never manage to get the right hummus, but this recipe seems promising. Great recipe, Mary!
Thanks Agness!
It’s taken me a while to be able to write – I’m brokenhearted at Steve’s diagnosis. I can only imagine how you were at the vitamin store. My heart goes out to you both and you WILL beat this together and you’ll dance under the skies at that amazing wedding. Steve will need you to be strong and that won’t be easy.
As for what to eat – does Steve have any early childhood recipes that he can’t resist?
I love homemade hummus and this one looks like a goody.
I could not write back until after I finished bawling for a while…and I could see again.
Maureen, we’ve never even met in person but I feel so close to you…Thank you for everything.
Childhood recipes are a grand idea!! Will work on that. xoxo, M.
Sometimes our lives are divided into before and after. It’s amazing how one event can change so many things. One of mine was many years ago when my dad was diagnosed with liver cancer. It’s a difficult time (not only for him but for you) and one of the most important things you can do is take care of yourself. If you are not OK you won’t be able to be there for him. There are treatments now that border on the miraculous so reach for that thought when things get tough. For all of us who are commenting there are many more who remain quiet…..just know you are being held in thoughts and prayers.
Thank you so much Marie. Thank you.
Mary we are sending you a virtual hug your way and wishing your husband a fast remission. This is all very overwhelming but you will overcome. Take Care
I’m so sorry, I can’t even imagine how hard that is for the both of you. One publication that helps a lot of people at my job, is this one:
https://www.cancer.gov/publications/patient-education/eating-hints
There are other publications listed also on the NCI website:
https://pubs.cancer.gov/ncipl/home.aspx
In addition, it might be helpful to get a referral for a registered dietitian or nutritionist, preferably one who has a focus on cancer patients, and renal cancer, if possible.
That hummus looks amazing, btw. LOVE hummus! I could eat that with anything, or just by itself.
Sending positive thoughts your way and hope things gets better real soon!
-Dave
Dave Gonzalez recently posted…banana tahini muffins
So sorry to hear this news! Sad and difficult times for you, and I’m sorry you and your family have to endure this. Hope things proceed well, and your husband makes good progress fighting this.
John/Kitchen Riffs recently posted…Beet and Red Onion Salad
Thanks for this comment John.
Mary Frances, it has taken me a couple of weeks to think of something to write to that wasn’t the usual “thinking of you.” But I am. This must be a difficult time for you and your family and I’m so sorry for that. You received lots of great suggestions here, so I won’t add to the list, just know I’m thinking of you and your husband and sending you thoughts of peace during this unpeaceful time in your lives.
My heart goes out to both of you and you will certainly be in my prayers. I have one friend that has just finished chemo and another who has just started it. I hope the doctors that can find just the right combination of drugs that will work for your husband. God bless you both.
Karen (Back Road Journal) recently posted…Almond Olive Oil Cake With Brown Butter Glaze
I am so sorry, Mary. I’ll keep you and your husband in my prayers. It’s been years since I worked as an oncology nurse—but we made lots of milkshakes for our patients. We added packages of Carnation Instant Breakfast for a bit more nutrition, but there are probably other options out there now with protein powders, etc. Otherwise, it’s day by day as chemo really messes with your sense of taste. Thinking of you, my friend. xo
Hi Mary, so sorry about your husband, I took care of my mom when she had cancer and I have to say that she drank a lot of milkshakes, chocolate was her favorite and I put protein powder in them. Sending hugs your way!