Flying Against The Odds by Jean-Jacques Trocon

Jean-Jacques Trochon (or JJ as he is more commonly known) spent thirty-two years as a commercial airline pilot for Air France. A French national, he enjoyed an early childhood in Tahiti before finishing his schooling in France and the USA. In 2003, JJ was diagnosed with aggressive kidney cancer and subsequently underwent the removal of his left kidney. In 2012 and 2014, he underwent further surgeries following the discovery of multiple metastases in both lungs. Despite being given a slim chance of survival, JJ again returned to work in 2016. He captained the world’s largest commercial aircraft, the Airbus A380, until his retirement in spring 2020. Today, Jean-Jacques devotes his spare time to helping other cancer sufferers and spreading the word about his revolutionary approach to the disease. He was the initiator of Rethinking Cancer 2017, a groundbreaking conference held in Paris on September 21, 2017, at Institut Gustave Roussy, the leading cancer center in Europe.

 

Heather Whitehall-Trochon is a lover of languages and a translator of French and German into English. A British national, she completed studies in fashion journalism at the London College of Fashion before moving to Munich, Germany, where she worked in public relations for fashion and film. After relocating to Vienna, Austria, she had a brief stint as an editor at the Associated Press, prior to becoming a freelance translator and seasoned backpacker. Heather met JJ in Paris in 2007, marrying him the following year. The couple, together with their cat, Zulu, have now settled in Biarritz, France.

Interview

• Of all the countries you have visited during your flying career, which was your favorite and why?

French Polynesia will always hold a special place in my heart since it is here that I spent my carefree childhood years. In Chapter 7, Together We are an Ocean, I recall some of my happy memories of that idyllic time. Later, as an airline captain for Air France, I was lucky to fly to Tahiti a few times. However, for me, it’s the people rather than the destination that make a place special. When someone remembers your name or offers you a small courtesy, that’s what sticks in my mind. My flying career has shown me that there are good people everywhere in the world. But yes, some destinations are memorable on account of their approaches from the sky. Flying in over the glittering waters of Sydney, San Francisco, Tokyo, New York, and Cape Town was always an awe-inspiring experience and an enormous privilege.

• You now follow a sugar-free diet. What food do you miss most from your days before cancer?

In chapter 8, The Good Life, I refer nostalgically to the donuts that I ate as a teenager living in Ohio. These are now ‘forbidden fruit’ for me, but I only have to think of those sugar-coated golden rings of batter for my mouth to start watering! Nowadays, I satisfy myself with chocolate made from 100% cocoa. It’s got rather a bitter taste, but you get used to it. Dark chocolate is packed with polyphenols, which have been shown to boost stem cells and kill cancer cells.

• If you could play a role in a film, who would you like to be?

I greatly admire Clint Eastwood and the type of characters he has played over the years. Many of his roles are connected with justice, which is something very dear to my heart. I like to see the ‘baddies’ being defeated, whether that’s cancer cells or gun-toting villains! I would love to have played one of his Eastwood characters in a classic Western, for example.

• If you had to describe yourself in three words, what would they be?

Focused

Determined

Structured

These are the characteristics that made me a good pilot. They have also enabled me to research relentlessly into cancer treatments, ultimately combining different approaches to create my pillars of health. I have the type of personality that will never give up, even when confronted with a stage four cancer diagnosis. I guess that’s why I’m still alive today!

• What are your hopes for the future?

I hope we will be able to hold a follow-up to Rethinking Cancer 2017 and that it will be attended by even more doctors from the world of traditional medicine. I would also like to see promising new research into alternative therapies being taken seriously on a global level, and its findings being used in parallel with traditional treatments. I do believe there is a place for chemotherapy and other drugs, but research has shown that their efficacy can be greatly enhanced through metabolic approaches.

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