After surviving a cancer battle that began eight years ago, Steve Baker proposed to the woman he loves this Valentine’s Day.
He proposed to Wendy Proud at home, fearing the storms raging that night would ruin their dinner date.
“Her answer to me was, ‘is this for real?’” he laughed, “I always put presents for her in a little ring box.”
Steve reached out to the Independent after reading about Lara carpenter Dayle Gordon beginning a similar cancer journey in last week’s edition.
He wanted to encourage Dayle and tell him “it actually gets better”, he said,
Steve had only known Wendy for eight months when specialists diagnosed him with a squamous cell carcinoma in May 2012.
“I woke up on my 50th birthday, a non-smoker and non-drinker, and had an (apparent) ulcer on my tongue,” he said.
A doctor booked him in for a biopsy straight after tablets failed to clear it up.
“I know it all scared [Wendy],” Steve said.
“But from day one she was so strong, which made it a lot easier for me.”
Steve had lifesaving surgery later that year to remove a third of his tongue followed by radiation.
“[The radiation] really kicks you hard and it all becomes a blur,” he said.
The cancer returned, twice, forcing surgeons to remove Steve’s saliva glad in 2013 and half of his tongue in 2014.
Specialists gave Steve the all clear recently. He now plays masters football and plans to marry Wendy next April.
“There were a lot of tears and what ifs but we got though it – and funnily enough, it’s made us stronger than ever,” he said.
A fundraising page has been set up to help Dayle and his partner as he faces weeks of radiation and chemotherapy following surgery to remove half his tongue.
To support Dayle visit: www.gofundme.com/f/let039s-chip-in-for-a-chippy
