Ross Baker was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive form of double-hit lymphoma and told he had only five to seven days left to live. Photo / Brett Phibbs
Ross Baker was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive form of double-hit lymphoma and told he had only five to seven days left to live. Photo / Brett Phibbs
Ross Baker refused to accept the diagnosis that he had less than a week to live – he was determined he would survive to see his daughter Georgia’s 14th birthday the following month.
With dogged determination, he endured months of treatment and, against all odds, he not only celebrated Georgia’s 14th, but next week will celebrate her 16th.
Baker had been experiencing night sweats, joint aches and fatigue, but it was only after the West Aucklander found himself in excruciating pain at a golf tournament that blood tests revealed it was blood cancer and within hours he was told to report to the hospital – immediately.
He was diagnosed with a very rare and aggressive form of double-hit lymphoma. Medical staff said he had only five to seven days left to live unless he urgently started treatment.
“They found all the tumours through MRIs and scans, and they basically told me to get my lawyer in to set up my will,” the 55-year-old Taupaki man says.
“I didn’t really understand it. I thought ‘You can’t be well enough to walk around, and then just die’.”
Baker refused to accept it. He was a fighter and endured eight rounds of chemotherapy over three months. But it took its toll.
His weight plummeted from 104kg to 76kg – including dropping 21kg in a week because oral ulcers meant he couldn’t eat or drink and his body purged from the rigours of chemotherapy.
Ross Baker in hospital during chemotherapy for non-Hodgkins lymphoma. Photo / Supplied
“Imagine you’re staring at your toothbrush, trying to figure out how to get it wet. It’s a simple task – why can’t you do it? Because you’re that fried with the chemo.”
“Fried” was putting it lightly. Baker went through a staggering amount of chemotherapy in just his first session – more 100 hours.
“I spent from October until New Year’s Eve in hospital, in and out with treatments.”
“There are times when a patient might be told that without treatment they have only a short period to live,” Emma Barker, the head of support services and operations for Leukaemia and Blood Cancer New Zealand, says.
“Blood cancer symptoms are often seen as other minor ailments so it is not unheard of for someone to not be diagnosed until a critical stage. They may dismiss things such as fatigue, dizzy spells and a loss of appetite, but in a cluster they could suggest blood cancer. "
Baker says he was determined to make his daughter Georgia’s 14th birthday – even if it was to be his last with her and partner Michele.
Ross Baker with his partner Michele and 15-year-old daughter Georgia. Photo / Brett Phibbs
He bought Georgia a jewellery box and included mementos, such as the hospital identification band when she was born.
“The day of her birthday was tough. I broke down that night,” he says. “We got some helium balloons, and my family wrote their own thoughts and messages on them, and let them go. It helped everyone. That’s when we realised we had a bit of a battle on our hands.”
But two years on, he is slowly getting back to normal life, and next week celebrates Georgia’s 16th birthday.
The owner of a security company, Baker was told he was in remission last year, but he knows that the blood cancer might return. He admits he gets frustrated at the things he can’t do – he has lost strength, and concentration is a challenge.
“I use a golf cart on the course now. I can’t walk around the course but I have built up to being back to 18 holes, I’m forcing myself to do some building on the house, but that takes forever. But I can do stuff.”
Baker – a self-described typical Kiwi bloke into muscle cars, competitive golf and spending time with his family – says one of the hardest parts about coping with his blood cancer, was he and Michele not knowing what to expect and having to manage the feelings of the people around him.
“People say, ‘how long have you got to live?’ and it’s like, ‘what, do you want to book your day off for my funeral now? Come on, guys. I’m fighting for my life here, and you’re asking me when I’m gonna die?”
“The whole reason for the fight was to stay alive for the people that I love, plus it showed Georgia that things get tough but you have to keep fighting. If I do die, at least, I never gave up.”
It was tough for Michele, who had to help care for Baker while working fulltime, dealing with his mental wellness as well as his physical needs. They want to share their experience to help others with double-hit lymphoma, if it helps prepare them for the ordeal – both patients and caregivers.
Ross Baker with his partner Michele and 15-year-old daughter Georgia. Photo / Brett Phibbs
“Either I was vomiting, had hair loss, was really grumpy or had no strength - so we’d like to help prepare partners that are going through it,” he says.
“It’s important to enjoy your little gains, whatever it might be – if you can hold down food or brush your teeth or get off the toilet by yourself. Don’t look at what you’ve lost; you look at what you’ve gained when you’re coming back. Because it’s amazing to see what the body can do once it starts healing.”
And most importantly, he wants anyone with seemingly mild health issues to seek medical attention.
“You know your body better than anyone. See a doctor if something is worrying you – the sooner you get a full check up, the better.”
Common blood cancer symptoms:
(Usually in a cluster)
Regular and frequent fevers, chill.s
Persistent fatigue, weakness, dizzy spells.
Loss of appetite, nausea.
Headaches.
Unusual bleeding/bruising.
Unexplained weight loss.
Night sweats.
Bone/joint pain.
Abdominal discomfort.
Shortness of breath.
Frequent infections.
Itchy skin or skin rash.
Swollen lymph nodes in the neck, underarms or groin.
Double-hit lymphoma
Double-hit lymphoma (DHL) is an aggressive form of non-Hodgkins lymphoma and affects the white blood cells called B-lymphocytes or B-cells.
With DHL lymphoma, cells have abnormalities on two genes, making up about 5 per cent of DHL cases with B-cell lymphoma.
Ex-international cricketer Martin Crowe had the disease.
