Julia Baird had diagnosed with cancer in 2015, and she is a cancer survivor.
She is an Australian journalist, author, and broadcaster. The journalist works for The New York Times and The Sydney Morning Herald. The broadcaster is also a regular host of a television news review program called The Drum which comes on the Australian Broadcasting(ABC). Her works also include the best-selling memoir and a biography of Queen Victoria.
The author was born in Sydney, but her early childhood was spent in Rye, New York. In 1998 the journalist began her career with The Sydney Morning Herald and won her first Walkley Award.
What Was Julia Baird’s Illness?
In 2015, the journalist suffered from cancer. At that time, she was the host of Australian Broadcasting, and she was away from her work to remove her tumors. The host was diagnosed with cancer in the month of June 2015. Initially, she felt like she was bloating, due to which her clothes were becoming tight on her body.
Julia was feeling like she was carrying a baby due to her tumor. The tumor was very big, and it started to enlarge within a weekend without any earlier signal. It pushed her belly into an arc.
Julia Baird’s Health Journey
She waited for two weeks for the surgery. During that time, she used to fell like she was pregnant. Her organs used to cramp and squash up against each other. When she was not concentrating, she used to feel the kick, and her hands used to be in her belly to protect it as if she were protecting the infant.
After that, she would be reminded that it was not a baby but rather it was a tumor. The journalist’s tumor was the size of a basketball and was in between her belly and her spine. The journalist was not sure if she wanted to do an operation or to be exorcised.
Initially, the host was diagnosed with advanced ovarian cancer, and her prognosis was not good.
She had to go through chemotherapy treatment which was very painful and horrible. She shared that that was like pouring poisonous chemicals into an open wound. The journalist had to go through three brutal rounds of surgery. Then after the host had her surgery done which took five hours, she was in five days of intensive care after the surgery.
Post-surgery, her prognosis was good. Though the journalist’s prognosis was good, she had to be in fear of getting back cancer. Her blood tests report came, which was clear of cancer.
Where Is Julia Baird Today?
She is at her home in Sydney’s Northern Beaches. Julia is hosting ABC TV’s The Drum. The journalist had published a memoir, Phosphorescence: On Awe, Wonder and the Things that Sustain You When the World Goes Dark. This book was published in Australia in March 2020. Soon after the COVID-19 pandemic began, her book became a best seller.
In the 2021 Indie Book Award, this book was named non-fiction book of the year. It also won both the General Nonfiction Book of the Year and the Book of the Year at the 2021 Australian Book Industry Awards.
The author was always a healthy eater, but she had started eating even healthier after she survived a rare and diabolically difficult to cure cancer. The host is now enjoying the benefits of going out in nature and making deliberate efforts to get outdoors.