Doctor, 46, who woke up in the night with shoulder pain blamed work – before discovering the sinister truth
ELLISSA Baskind thought her back pain was due to the long hours she spent as a gynaecologist bending over during operations.
She only sought help when pain kept her from dancing at her work Christmas party – and she soon discovered she had cancer.
The mum-of-two, 46, said: “Even as a doctor, you don’t think of the worst things.
“I was getting pain in my shoulder blades which was keeping me up at night.
“I genuinely thought it was related to my work. I never once thought it was something sinister.”
Ellissa’s x-ray came back clear, but abnormalities in her blood tests led to an urgent hospital visit.
She was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia, a rare and aggressive blood cancer.
“There was a lot of disbelief,” she said.
“I felt completely well, except for the back pain. I was working more than full-time and thought, ‘How long until I can get back to normal life?’
“It never crossed my mind that it would be anything more serious than chemotherapy. I think I was a bit naïve.”
Her first round of chemotherapy failed, forcing her to undergo a stem cell transplant during the pandemic.
Ellissa said: “It was strange going from being a doctor working in the hospital to a patient living in it.
“There wasn’t a day that passed without a colleague visiting me. I was very lucky to have so much support.”
But 18 months later, Ellissa discovered a lump in her breast.
Tests revealed it was myeloid sarcoma – a rare tumour linked to her leukaemia.
She said: “Looking at the literature, there’s no cure for myeloid sarcoma. I believed it was palliative.
“That night, I started researching hospice care and thought it was the end of the road.
“But the doctors asked me how much fight I had left, and I told them, ‘I’m only interested in a cure.’
“They said there was a slim chance with another stem cell transplant.”
Ellissa underwent a second transplant in 2022, followed by two more rounds of chemotherapy.
Against the odds, it was successful.
Now, she is celebrating five years cancer-free.
“I’m in the best health I’ve been in,” she said.
“That five-year milestone is huge, and I feel so lucky to be alive. It’s changed the way I approach patients, having been one myself.”
Ellissa hopes her story inspires others to take their health seriously. “I look back and realise how easily I could have ignored the signs.
“Please listen to your body, don’t ignore symptoms, and persevere until you know what’s going on.
“That pain stopped me from dancing, but it might have saved my life.”
What is leukaemia?
Leukemia is a type of cancer that affects the blood and bone marrow, causing the rapid production of abnormal white blood cells.
These abnormal cells can’t fight infection, and they overtake healthy blood cells, preventing them from working properly.
This excess production of abnormal white blood cells affects the production of normal blood cells, which are essential for fighting infections, carrying oxygen, and helping blood clot.
Leukaemia can be acute or chronic.
Acute leukaemia appears suddenly and grows quickly, while chronic leukaemia appears gradually and develops slowly over months to years.
Acute leukaemia requires immediate treatment.
Symptoms of leukaemia can be vague and not specific, and they may resemble symptoms of the flu and other common illnesses. Some symptoms include:
- Excessive sweating, especially at night
- Bone pain or tenderness
- Fatigue
- Weight loss
- Frequent infections
- Easy bleeding or bruising
- Tiny red dots under the skin called petechiae, which are caused by bleeding
A medical professional can diagnose leukaemia using a physical exam, medical history, blood tests, bone marrow tests, and genetic tests.
Treatment may include chemotherapy, radiation, or stem-cell transplantation