Don't let fear control your life

Do you know chlodnik? That's a cold red beet soup from Poland. It's one of 10 dishes that nearly 50-year-old Lorry Deklerck put a pink version on point for Pink Ribbon. Lorry was diagnosed with hormone-sensitive breast cancer with metastases in the bone in the summer of 2022. "I immediately thought this was the end," she says of it. More than three years on, she looks alive and kicking and talks enthusiastically about how much she loves coming up with recipes for her main client The Cookware Company - GreenPan, distributor of PFAS-free pots and pans long before the PFAS crisis broke out in our country.  

"At The Cookware Company I am responsible for internal and external training and product testing," she says, "I don't do that through powerpoint presentations, but by using and testing the kitchenware with people in a relaxed atmosphere." At The Cookware Company, Lorry is also given complete freedom to adapt her work to the treatments for her cancer, which she has to undergo in between. "If I need a time-out, I adjust my work accordingly. Being self-employed allows me to take control, and I get that opportunity."

Inner peace

The diagnosis of breast cancer came like a sledgehammer blow. In addition to the tough treatments with hormone therapy, chemotherapy and targeted therapy, and all the imaginable side effects that come with them, Lorry Deklerck searched for how to give the enormous fear a place. "The search for inner peace was my main quest in the whole process," she relates, "I looked for ways to deal with the anxiety and found them in breathing exercises, in acupuncture and in walking in nature. You may still be lovingly surrounded, and so am I, but you are on your own at the same time." Lorry made a pact with herself and is doing her best to allow as little fear into her life as possible.

After a cancer diagnosis, fear is a paralyzing factor. Fear of dying, fear of no longer being part of society, of no longer belonging, and also fear of financial worries. "How you deal with that fear, each person has to decide for themselves. It is important to stick to your own story and stay close to yourself," she said. "The disease has brought about a lot in my life, also for the better. Today I can combine my commercial job in marketing with my passion for cooking. Thanks to GreenPan, I now have a much more creative job." She herself filled in the request from The Cookware Company - GreenPan to develop inspiring recipes for Pink Ribbon in a very special way: "With ten pink recipes, including a soup, main dishes and two desserts!" Easy to prepare for cancer patients who don't have the energy to cook for hours. With a touch of pink. We can share these soon.

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