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July 18, 2008

Brookfield mother, daughter battling cancers; both diagnosed on same day

By Monica Pryts

BROOKFIELD — Family and friends have planned a fundraiser to benefit Judy and Rachel Baker, a Brookfield mother and daughter diagnosed with cancer on the same day.

A hair cut-a-thon is set for noon to 4 p.m. Sunday at Don II & Co., 7120 Brookwood Drive, Brookfield, a salon next to Tiffany Manor where Mrs. Baker worked as a stylist before her illness, said relative Lisa Haun of Masury.

Haircuts will cost $10. There will also be food and a Chinese auction and 50/50 raffle, with all proceeds helping to pay for medical bills and expenses including traveling to Pittsburgh for treatment, she said.

Mrs. Baker, 46, and her 19-year-old daughter hope to be able to visit the fundraiser to show their appreciation for the community’s support, said husband and father Bruce Baker.

“The people of Brookfield have stepped up,” he said.

The story of the two most important women in his life is an emotional one for Baker to tell. The family, which includes son and brother Bryan, 17, learned May 20 Mrs. Baker’s yearly mammogram results showed cancer in one breast.

Doctors were trying to reach the Bakers with the news, but that took several hours because they were with an ill Rachel at the hospital, where she was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia, or cancer of the white blood cells.

“It was like being in a boxing match and getting hit with the left and right at the same time,” Baker said.

Mrs. Baker’s side of the family has a history of breast cancer but their daughter’s story is not that simple, he said. Rachel, a 2007 graduate of Brookfield High School, completed her freshman year at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, but became sick in the fall with mono.

Mono weakened her immune system and she later contracted the so-called “Super Bug” staph infection MRSA from a roommate, further shutting down her body’s defenses like white blood cells and leading to the leukemia, Baker said.

The experience of having two cancer-stricken family members sounds scary to many people, but the close-knit mother and daughter aren’t letting it get them down, he said.

Mrs. Baker recently had a mastectomy and reconstructive surgery and is recovering at home. Rachel has completed her first of four rounds of chemotherapy and is hardly fazed by losing her long hair, Baker said.

Their thinking is positive and it helps to have a strong support system of family, friends and even strangers willing to lend a hand, Baker and Mrs. Haun said.



“They’re doing very remarkably well. Their spirits are up,” Mrs. Haun said.

Donations can also be made to the Judy and Rachel Baker Donation Fund at any branch of Huntington Bank, Mrs. Haun said.

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