Quick test saved a life
The Herald speaks with Kiwis who have been on the edge of death, had their world tipped upside down, overcome their darkest moments and are now moving forward
An Auckland father-of-two is raising awareness for bowel cancer after a shocking diagnosis changed his life.
For Ant Ward, opting to get a “10-second test” was the difference between life and death — and he wants everyone to know it.
Taking part in last month’s Decembeard was just one of the ways Ward has been getting his message out there.
He was able to raise more than $4000 in less than a month and more importantly help change the stigma about getting health checks.
“Like a lot of men, getting checked was something I put off but one quick test and very quickly the specialist was able to tell me it was cancer.
“Guys get funny because they have to poke something up there but when you go and do it you think ‘was that it’?,” Ward told the Herald.
He said if he had been diagnosed later his outcome would have been a lot worse.
After getting more tests Ward discovered his cancer had spread and he was rushed into surgery before undergoing 12 rounds of chemotherapy over 24 weeks.
“I went through everything going fantastic with life, my family was great and my business was thriving, to being chucked into this foreign environment.
“Up until that point I felt like I had control [but] when you go through these medical procedures there is no fine art answer and that was difficult.”
But in the end it changed him for the better. “Going to the gym used to be my stress relief but after [the diagnosis] I started spending more time with my kids and I found slowing down . . . helped calm me down.”
After chemotherapy, scans showed the cancer had gone.
“I will never know if it has completely gone. I will keep getting checked and live my life with purpose.”
He said he had become passionate about getting men talking about their health. “When you go through something like I did it really puts things in perspective.” Beer for breakfast, anyone?
Hallertau’s Crunchy Nut Sour is somewhat of a world first. Breakfast cereal powerhouse Kellogg’s had never collaborated with a brewery before and chose New Zealand’s own Hallertau to create a nutty ale just in time for summer.
To replicate the flavours in the breakfast cereal, Hallertau got through a whole lot of Crunchy Nut boxes, as well as using local kiwifruit, peanuts and honey.
It added lactose to give it the milky finish that helps replicate those flavours of the bowl of cereal with milk.
The result is a slightly tart and tangy sour beer that seems to get nuttier and nuttier as you make your way down to the bottom of the glass. The first sip is all about the kiwifruit but the peanuts definitely make an appearance as your tastebuds adjust to the sourness.
It’d need a whole lot more peanuts to get closer to the taste of Crunchy Nut and you have to really be paying attention to get the nuttier notes.
Still, it’s a well balanced and a strong contender for summer favourite if you’re into sour beers.
At 4.6 per cent ABV, you could almost get away with having it for breakfast. Almost.
Vera Alves heads west from Auckland to crunch a beer for breakfast at Riverhead’s Hallertau