Johann Lafer on his cancer therapy: "Damn hard, but I'm in good spirits"

Loss of taste as a particular burden

What was particularly burdensome for him was not his physical condition, but the loss of his sense of taste. "The worst thing for me is not the physical condition, but I have no taste and can't eat anything and have open fingers," Lafer said. He wouldn't wish that on anyone, whether they were a chef or not: "Das wünsche ich niemandem, egal ob der Koch ist oder nicht."

Lafer described the situation of having to be helped with eating as particularly hard. "Zu jemandem zu sagen: ‚Kannst Du mir das pürieren', weil ich das sonst nicht essen kann, das ist verdammt schwer," he said. For a chef whose profession and passion are closely tied to taste and enjoyment, this was a particular burden.

Fighting spirit despite setbacks

Despite the burdens, Lafer appeared combative in the podcast. He felt as good as possible given the circumstances and was "sehr guten Willens und sehr guten Mutes," he said. He tried to consciously perceive what was happening around him every day. He described the chemotherapy itself with the words: "Verdammt hart."

According to his own statements, Lafer had decided to go public with his illness because there had been much speculation about his changed appearance after an appearance on the ZDF show "Fernsehgarten." The open acknowledgment of his illness had been liberating, he said. He hoped his story could also give courage to other affected people.

Public acknowledgment after speculation

He didn't want pity, Lafer said. He wanted to be accepted as he was. This attitude also runs through his accounts in the podcast: Despite the severity of the illness and the sometimes massive side effects of the therapy, the 68-year-old appears determined not to let his everyday life be completely overtaken by the disease.

Lafer was reserved on medical matters. When he first announced his illness, he had already said the cancer was not curable, but could be contained. In the podcast, he did not go into detail about the course of the disease, but emphasized that he experienced the therapy as a lengthy process in which good and bad phases alternated.

The show "Rolling Pin Talks" is a podcast from the gastro sector, in which chefs and other personalities from the industry regularly have their say. The fact that Lafer spoke in detail about his cancer there of all places underscores the importance he attaches to the culinary context – even though he himself can currently hardly taste anything.

With his public acknowledgment of his illness, Lafer joins a number of prominent figures who have gone public with their illness in order to end speculation and give courage to other affected people. He emphasized that talking about the illness had been a relief for him personally. "Offen zu sagen, dass er krank ist, habe ihn befreit," the podcast states.

Significance for the everyday life of a TV chef

The loss of the sense of taste is a well-known but often underestimated side effect of many chemotherapies. For Lafer, who is known to a broad public as a TV chef and whose brand is closely tied to enjoyment and taste, this loss weighs particularly heavily. The open sores on his fingers, which he addressed in the podcast, are also a typical accompanying symptom of certain chemotherapeutic agents.

Lafer tried not to withdraw completely, he said. Even on bad days, he kept appointments as far as possible in order not to lose contact with the outside world. He formulated this strategy – not retreating into his "Schneckenhaus" – as a conscious decision against isolation.

The podcast appearance marks Lafer's first detailed account of the concrete effects of his therapy. Previously, he had only publicly revealed the diagnosis itself. With his detailed descriptions, he now also provides an insight into the everyday life of a cancer illness that goes beyond the mere diagnosis.

Outlook on further appearances

Overall, Lafer paints the picture of a patient who accepts his illness without trivializing it. He speaks openly about side effects such as loss of taste and open fingers, names the psychological burden, and at the same time formulates an attitude that is based on dignity and self-determination. Pity, as he repeatedly expressed, is not the appropriate framework for this.

Lafer left open how his public appearance work would continue. He only announced that he wanted to continue to maintain "eine gewisse Grundpräsenz." It therefore remains to be seen to what extent the 68-year-old will be seen in front of the camera or at live events in the future.