She may only be in high school, but Long Beach senior Sydney Mckeever has been through a medical mystery, and leaning into food proved to be her saving grace.

In her sophomore year, Mckeever experienced a terrifying and rare brain hemorrhage called an AVM — an arteriovenous malformation. For two and a half months, she recovered at home and used the downtime to teach herself how to cook.

Now, the senior student has a published cookbook. “The Vegetarian Cookbook For People Who Don’t Like Vegetables” is available on for purchase on Amazon.