MasterChef Hopeful Bonny Porter Has Congenital Hearing Loss

Bonny Porter is a chef who is competing to become the next MasterChef hopeful in Australia. She also has congenital hearing loss being completely deaf in her left ear by the age of 3 years old and with significant hearing loss in her right ear by the time she was 7 years old.

Even with a hearing aid, lip reading is necessary and during the MasterChef show, did request the host and judge to wear special microphones to help her hear what they said better. Beyond that, she requested no other special treatment.

According to her bio, she is currently working as a chef at Sydney’s Rockpool Bar and Grill. Prior to that, she apprenticed at Park Hyatt in Canberra and Manly Wine by Gazebo.

Good luck!

Source:
Bio on MasterChef Australia.

MasterChef's Bonny Porter faces big challenge. Herald Sun 1/21/13

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Celebrity Chef Grant Achatz With Stage 4 Tongue Cancer

Chicago news recently published a story about their very own celebrity chef Grant Achatz who suffered from Stage 4B squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue.

Grant Achatz, chef and co-owner of Alinea/Next/Aviary, approached multiple physicians throughout the country who essentially told him the oral cancer was terminal. In the end, he underwent treatment at University of Chicago successfully, though he certainly is not out of the woods yet.

There are several approaches in the treatment of tongue cancer, especially one as advanced as Mr. Achatz's, each with its own advantages and disadvantages.

In one approach is surgery first to remove all visible disease followed by radiation and chemotherapy to get rid of microscopic tumor cells. Surgery is huge... it entails removal of most of the tongue, involved jawbone, and removal of lymph nodes in the neck (neck dissection). Given how much tissue is removed, reconstruction of the defect is typically performed using bone, skin, and muscle typically taken from the arm (radial forearm free flap). Given how massive the surgery is, a tracheostomy as well as stomach feeding tube is placed. Hospitalization is typically 1-2 weeks long.

An alternative approach is surgery second. Radiation and chemotherapy is done first to shrink the tumor. Once this course is completed, surgery is performed to remove residual disease. The amount of surgery depends on the degree of residual cancer that is left. This course of action is what Mr. Achatz chose to pursue.

Regardless of what step is pursued, there are lots of side effects from cancer treatment including:

• loss/alteration in taste and smell
• dry mouth
• difficulty with swallowing
• stiff neck
• poor teeth (often they get removed prior to cancer treatment)
• leathery skin

Unfortunately, cancer being cancer, risk of recurrence is VERY high especially for stage 4 tongue cancer no matter how well the initial response appears to be. Regularly monitoring over the next 5 years is absolutely essential starting with an exam every 2-3 months for the first two years as that's when the risk of cancer recurrence is highest.

Source:

Celebrated chef gives back. WGN 3/22/12

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Recipe How to Make Snot Boogers

British researchers are at it again!

The British Society for Immunology have developed a recipe to make your very own authentic-appearing snot of various colors of tan thru green.

Of course, you can make your own the natural way, but here's a more sanitary way with kitchen supplies.

You need:

• 1 tbsp Gelatine powder
• 1 tbsp Hot water
• 2 tbsp Sugar syrup (corn syrup or golden syrup)
• Food colouring
• A plastic container/bag
• Paint brush or dropper

To make your own snot:

1) In a container, mix the gelatine and hot water together, stir quickly until the gelatin dissolves.

2) Using a paint brush or dropper add a very small amount of food colouring.

3) Add the sugar syrup and mix until it goes stringy and snot like.

4) Enjoy!

Keep your snot in the fridge or you might find something growing on it!

Source:
THE SECRET LIFE OF SNOT. British Society of Immunology.

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