Terri Baker was diagnosed with stage 4 ovarian cancer in September. Today, the cancer is undetectable.
When Terri Baker walked into an emergency room for blood in her urine, doctors diagnosed her with kidney stones, and something she didn't expect.
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WATCH HERE"They said, and you also have peritoneal carcinomatosis," Baker said. "I looked at them and said, 'You're speaking Spanish to me. I don't know what that is!'"
It was ovarian cancer, stage 4. Just 6 months prior, Baker had a clean bill of health from her regular gynecologist exam.
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SIGN UP "I had no idea that they're not checking for ovarian cancer unless you have a history, which I don't," Baker said. "I thought, I've gotta figure out how to do something. I'm not just gonna sit back and just do nothing."
Ovarian cancer often isn't detected until late stage because the symptoms are subtle and there's no regular screening for it. According to the American Cancer Society, ovarian cancer is among the leading causes of cancer deaths among women.
"It's so easy to come into the ER for one thing, find out you have widespread cancer and just want to throw up the white flag and give up," Baylor Scott & White Gynecologic Oncologist Dr. Erik Colin Koon said. "She's a fighter!"
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Koon said ovarian cancer tumors are marked by something called CA-125.
"Of all the patients that I've had, she holds the record for having the highest CA-125 that I have ever seen in my career," Koon said. "That number was 44,641...so you don't forget your record!"
Baker became Koon's patient after a nurse navigator with Baylor Scott & White called to help her find the right oncologist and set up appointments at the . The 2 women got to talking about growing up near Baylor.
"And I said, 'Do you happen to know a girl named Stacy?'" Baker recalled. "She got quiet for a second and she said, 'That's me!' And I said, 'Stacy, this is Terri, your cousin!'"
The cousin Baker had not seen in 25 years was at her side during chemotherapy treatments. On Wednesday, Baker got the results of her most recent CT scan
"And it shows absolutely no evidence of disease, which is awesome," Koon said, adding that he was cautiously optimistic. "Hers is probably one of the better results that we've seen, so it's just truly remarkable."
Koon said Baker's attitude played a big part in her cancer battle.
"She didn't slow down at all; she just would take whatever we would throw at her, and didn't let the small things really wear her down," Koon said. "She kept the big picture in mind, which I think is really critical in the treatment of cancer."
"I'm not ready yet," Baker said. "I'm 54, I'm not done!"
