November 1, 2015
1891
Kirsten Walden (above, with her industrial-strength mixer) wants to become a pastry chef, even if it means dealing with consequences from Ulcerative Colitis.
The 17-year-old daughter of Brock and Mary Rose Walden of Ripley, was diagnosed with the Inflammatory Bowel Disease five years ago. She has tried many different medications – often they worked for about six months and then she would have to return to prednazone which has some tough side effects.
Since April, the Grade 12 student at Kincardine District Secondary School has been in remission, and since July, she has been taking Remicade infusions in London every four weeks. This treatment is working, she says, and she has suffered few symptoms of the colitis.
She still has flare-ups, usually at the start of school or before exams, and she has to watch what she eats. Otherwise, her gastrointestinal system will cause her problems for hours.
Ironically, Kirsten loves to cook and bake.
“I've always enjoyed working in the kitchen with my mom,” she says. Then her cousin, Lori (Walden) Dimmer, who now lives in Burlington, taught her the art of cake-decorating,
“She taught me butter-cream techniques, and then I took the Wilton cake-decorating course in May of 2012,” says Kirsten, and now she creates magnificent works of edible art – cupcakes, cakes, fancy delights of every description.
She has made cakes for Grade 8 graduation ceremonies at Ripley-Huron Community School, birthdays and many other occasions. She did three weddings this past summer, making 150 cupcakes. She also did 140 cupcakes for prom and another 160 cupcakes for the Point Clark Lighthouse festival.
“I often rent the kitchen at the Ripley Complex,” she says. “I love it. It stresses my mom out a bit when I'm working on cakes from 7-10 p.m., and then going out on the weekend.”
Kirsten's goal is to become a pastry chef. She completed a co-operative education program at the Vintage Cafe in Mildmay and is planning to go to George Brown College in Toronto next fall, taking the two-year pastry chef course.
So, how does she reconcile all this baking, and no doubt, sampling, with her colitis?
“I can eat anything in moderation,” she says. “If I have a cupcake or two, I know I'll pay for it later. Usually, after I bake, I like to get the products out of the house quickly. I made a three-tiered cake with 36 cupcakes and took it to school – I made a lot of friends that day!”
She suffered during the Ripley Reunion weekend because she had done up a lot of cupcakes for a wedding and there were some still in the freezer. “We got them out and enjoyed them. But it was not good for me. I didn't function very well that day. Even with the Remicade, I would be down for a day if I'm not careful with what I eat.”
Kirsten says Ulcerative Colitis is like a rash inside the large intestine. When she eats, it irritates the rash; the Remicade is like a cream on the rash.
But back to the baking, she says she likes it so much that she is willing to deal with the consequences later.
When she's not at school or baking up a storm, Kirsten enjoys playing hockey and rugby, and works at the Ripley Variety and the Vintage Cafe in Mildmay.
Written ByLiz Dadson is the founder and editor of the Kincardine Record and has been in the news business since 1986.
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