Planet CakePHP

I have a view helper that manages generating thumbnails for images. The images are stored using a unique ID and then linked to a file resource in the database.

I am trying to find out if it is possible for the view helper that generates these images to access the model or controller directly, as it is not possible to load the image data at any other point in the controller work flow.

I know this is a bit of a hack really, but it is easier than trying to rebuild the entire data management stack above the view.