AFL great Robert Walls has spoken out about the warning signs that led him to see a doctor who diagnosed him with a rare and extremely aggressive cancer just before the 2023 grand final.
Walls has been a big name at Aussie Rules as a player and coach, winning premierships during his 218 games for Carlton in 1968, 1970 and 1972.
He subsequently returned to coach four teams, including Carlton, and won another premiership with them in 1987, and also worked as a football commentator and writer.
But his career appeared to have come to an end at age 73 when he was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia and told he would not survive past Christmas last year.
Acute lymphoblastic leukemia is a type of cancer that affects the blood and bone marrow, causing the production of too many young white blood cells, called lymphocytes.
This cancer moves quickly, so it needs quick treatments such as chemotherapy, radiation, stem cell transplants, or special medications to stop its progress.
Although acute lymphoblastic leukemia occurs primarily in children, adults can get it too, which is why Walls wants to talk about what she’s been through.
AFL legend Robert Walls was shocked to be given just one month to live when he was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia.
Walls has defied the odds of surviving the initial prognosis and wants to talk about how acute lymphoblastic leukemia is not just a childhood cancer.
It was the last thing he expected to be diagnosed with when the aches and pains began to appear.
At first he thought it was just the ravages of his football career, but the pain in his back, ribs and chest steadily worsened, affecting his sleep, and the former football star, still fit, became exhausted just 10 minutes after your usual routine. one hour walk with her dog Millie.
“My exact words were, ‘Something’s wrong,'” Walls told the Herald of the sun.
He donated blood and was lying on the couch when the doctor called with the news the next day.
“He said: ‘Your blood test results have come back and you have a rare and aggressive blood cancer, leukaemia, go to A&E in Epworth now,'” Walls said.
“I was alone and I thought, Jesus, he’s brusque and straight to the point.”
Walls (pictured second from left while playing for the Blues) won three premierships with Carlton as a player in 1968, 1970 and 1972.
That led me to some serious soul-searching. At his age, was Walls prepared to face the arduous fight for survival? Or accept his fate?
“I told my timeline, ‘If I don’t do anything, where am I?’ “He had one to three months to live. That touched me,” Walls said.
After a difficult couple of months of frequently visiting Alfred Hospital in November and December, he finally received the good news that he is in remission in December.
Since then he has had to carry a bag containing chemotherapy drugs that continually drips into his arm, and which he changes every four days.
Walls was faced with the agonizing choice of accepting arduous treatment to save his life or accepting his fate.
Now Walls (pictured above during his playing days) is in remission and is optimistic about his future.
Each month, he returns to the Alfred for a more intensive 24-hour chemotherapy session, followed by two days to help his body recover from the treatment.
In addition to this, bone marrow biopsies and lumbar punctures are performed. A lumbar puncture is an injection into the lower back that looks for any problems in the spinal cord and brain.
Walls has defied the initial forecast, but he will not let his guard down.
“I remember talking to Sandy Roberts, who has her own battles, and we were talking about remission,” Walls said.
‘I’m not sure about the percentages, but he told me there is a very high percentage that returns. So when you say you’re in remission, that’s good. But it’s not the end of the journey.’