Here I am 4 and 1/2 years in to my myeloma journey and asking for help on a non-myeloma topic. One thing I have learnt on my journey is if you don't ask you will never know. If you are on facebook perhaps you could help.
The short version: I have entered a photo/cooking competition on facebook. The recipes of the10 most voted for photos then get made by a chef and the food is judged on creativity, looks and taste. But if your photo doesn't get enough votes to be in the top 10 even if it looks absolutely delicious then you are not in the running. It really boils down to how many "friends" you have voting for your entry.
I know in the scheme of things this photo/cooking competition is insignificant. However all through my treatment I never gave up and was always looking for a solution. So I don't want to say to myself perhaps I should have....
So if you feel inclined to check out my entry (gluten free raslicious tart) and vote for it that would be wonderful. You can vote every day but only once/day.
The competition is held by The Sweeter Life Club (you need to like the page) and is called the Great Sugar Free Bake Off. You need to enter into the voting page and then hit the vote button on your favourite photo (hopefully that will be mine
). The long version: Same as above but why am I doing this. Prior to my myeloma diagnosis I started a company called Decadent Alternatives that produced gourmet gluten free products. (I was interested in this when a friends child was anaphylactic to wheat, dairy, eggs, nuts and soy). Unfortunately/fortunately we stopped manufacturing just before the GFC was really bad. I had to have the "talk" with the bank manager about closing everything - my response was "I can give cooking classes". So Decadent Alternatives limped along on the back of cooking classes and some product development for other companies. I developed a really good (of course I am going to be biased) gluten free bread recipe that a local company now makes under license. A month after the bread mix went into supermarkets (March 2009) I was diagnosed with multiple myeloma. No more cooking classes, no more product development I just didn't have the strength or energy.
Now I am in remission and starting to feel better, but I will never be the same. I am getting used to my new "normal" and working out how I can do the things that not only do I want to do but things that I am good at. I love giving gluten free cooking classes and I think I am good at it but my back is not the same (those multiple myeloma lesions do tend to hang around ). I am on immunosuppressants and most likely will be on them for the rest of my life and I would like to minimize my exposure to colds/etc. So I would prefer not to give classes face to face. I will in the future have a website and facebook page for Decadent Alternatives but I am slower than I used to be and it will take time. Entering the competition was a way of testing the waters.
Thanks for reading,
Libby
