Afterundergoing surgeryto remove a tumor in her shoulder bone in January, formerTop ChefcontestantFatima Ali has revealed that her cancer has returned.
In an emotionalessay forBon Appetit, Ali, 29, writes that “the cancer cells my doctors believed had vanished are back with a vengeance in my left hip and femur bone,” adding that her oncologist told her she likely has “a year to live, with or without the new chemotherapy regimen.”
The New York City-based chef was diagnosed with Ewings Sarcoma, a rare form of bone cancer, shortly after competing inseason 15of the Bravo competition show which wasfilmed in Colorado. Host Padma Lakshmiwas there with her in the hospitalas she prepared for her surgery,calling on prayersfrom fans on Instagram and saying she was “hoping for a great outcome.”
Padma Lakshmi Instagram
Ali details her plans for the future in theBon Appetitessay, acknowledging that she is “scared” but has “an odd sense of relief” following the new diagnosis. “I can finally live for myself, even if it’s just for a few precious months,” she writes.
While she previously told PEOPLE that she “most certainly” planned on opening a restaurant of her own, she is now focused on eating at the world’s most-acclaimed restaurants, including the Chef’s Table at Brooklyn Fare and two-Michelin-starred Noma in Copenhagen, Denmark.
“Every day is a new opportunity to experience something new,” she writes. “I’m sketching a plan to eat my way through New York and the boroughs while I can.”
source: people.com
