From Chemotherapy to Cookbook: “You Spend a Lot of Time in Bed and Want to Do Something to Keep Your Mind Busy”

Pine nuts are roasted in a pan, bacon is placed in the oven, and Emil Weikamp (27) from Zwartemeer is chopping tomatoes. On the menu today? Pasta.

But not just any pasta. Last summer he was diagnosed with acute leukemia. He underwent intensive treatment for a year and had to follow a strict diet. “The doctor said it’s best to stick to a diet while pregnant. Only then should I make sure I get enough protein.”

This was a big mystery to Emil at first. Because what are you allowed to do and what are you not allowed to do? What about meat and cheese? He researched, but now Emil knows everything. “I can’t eat something as simple as a hamburger at a fast food restaurant, but I make it myself.”

To help others in the same boat, Emil decided to share his dishes on the Instagram account Kanker Lekker Koken. “I initially wanted to call it something different. Something a little more humble. But a lot of friends asked me to call it that. That’s where the name came from.”

Emil loves cooking. It wasn’t back when he was still living at home, but his housemate who was training to be a chef got Emil into cooking. It comes in handy now. It’s not just the Instagram account. A cookbook is in the works. “I actually wrote most of it while I was recording my first one. You spend a lot of time in bed and you want to do something to keep your mind busy. Then I actually wrote a lot of the recipes that I made at home.”

Given the circumstances, Emil is now doing well. “I have resumed my work. I am exercising a little again. I have finished the intensive treatments since April. The maintenance treatment I am currently undergoing will last another year and is much lighter and easier to perform.”