Sonoma Local Preparing for Second Mastectomy
Maureen Crumly is scheduled for her second single mastectomy on October 25. She was diagnosed with breast cancer for the second time in February of this year. Her first breast cancer diagnosis was in 2017 and followed the same treatment trajectory of four months of chemotherapy and then surgery. It happens that this time her surgery falls during Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
Maureen first learned about Ceres Community Project through contacts at Cancer Support Sonoma. Ceres is a nonprofit that mentors youth to prepare medically tailored meals that are delivered to people dealing with serious illness in Marin and Sonoma counties. Knowing she needed to get her care plan set for recovering from surgery, she reached out to Ceres to see about receiving meals leading up to her surgery and during her recovery. She and her husband now receive meals, a support that Ceres provides to family members as well, to help relieve the burden of cooking, often shouldered by women.
Kimberly Madsen is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist and is the Nutrition Care Manager at Ceres Community Project. She explains that diet and nutrition can have a big influence on breast cancer treatment. Chemotherapy can cause nausea, and patients may only be able to stomach certain foods. Maintaining a healthy weight during treatment is important, and adequate nutrition can influence how effective the treatment is. She also points out that adequate and appropriate nutrition can help prevent recurrence.
Maureen is a self-proclaimed foodie and attests that the food is delicious. She explained that the meals are low sodium, so the chefs at Ceres design meals using lots of flavorful herbs and spices to keep it interesting. “I am particular about my food, and this is really good food. You can tell that they put thought and love into what they're doing, it’s not just putting food out there to keep people alive.”
The meals are delivered right to her home by volunteers called Delivery Angels. “The meals also come with recipes,” says Maureen, “which helps us make better eating choices at home.”
Maureen repurposes the already compostable meal containers for the maker's lab at the elementary school where she works. For Maureen, having more time is the biggest blessing that the Ceres meals provide. Not having to shop as much, or clean pots and pans, so that she has more time to prepare for surgery, time to get the care she needs, and time to spend with her husband. She intends to volunteer with Ceres once she’s recovered and is adamant about expressing her gratitude for the service Ceres provides.