Jersi Baker

Angela “Jersi” Baker was born and raised in northern New Jersey and now resides in Charlotte, North Carolina. She is the mother of one son, who is the light of her world. She was diagnosed with DCIS in 2003 and underwent a full mastectomy and reconstruction. In 2011, Jersi became metastatic and in 2021, she learned she had central nervous system metastasis. In 2015, Jersi founded a nonprofit organization named Angel in Disguise Inc. She considers Angel in Disguise Inc. her greatest accomplishment.

Full Transcript

Background on Jersi

Jersi Baker:
Yes, Angel in Disguise is six years old. I started her in 2015 when I decided I no longer needed to work. I needed to go on disability because my job wasn’t flexible. And I started handing out business cards, and I met someone that needed a ride. And after that, I was like, if she needs a ride, there’s more people that need these services and that’s how it started.

And I just enjoy – I have one lady – I call them VIDAS, which means, victorious, inspired, delicate angel survivors. And I have one lady that called me. She moved, she doesn’t live in my town anymore. She lives about an hour and a half away. And she said, “I saw you on TV,” and I was like, “that’s my girl!”

And she’s older than me, but she calls me Miss Angela. And she’s like, “Miss Angela, I sure appreciate everything you did for me.” She’s like, “you were so good to me.” And then she told me that they found a spot on her lung which made me really sad. And so she’s like they said, if there’s more than one spot, then I’m stage four.

But I thought about it and I’m like, it came back and it’s in your lung – you’re already stage four. So, you know, just the fact that they still call me and want to chit chat. It’s that, that makes my heart smile.

Side Effects

Christine Hodgdon:
How have your symptoms, do you think leveled off now? Because I think you got some good news recently with your scans, if I’m not mistaken. 

Jersi Baker:
Yes. They said that everything was stable. So that was good news. Now my symptoms are just my hands, but I guess that’s from the chemo. They’re very tight and I’m left-handed but it’s hard to use both hands, but very hard to use my left hand.

And I do walk with the walker, but I think that, you know, I have a wheelchair in hell too, so I use that more.

2nd Opinions

Christine Hodgdon:
You were actually one of the easiest patients that I’ve worked with because you took all the advice that I gave you. And it was really a pleasure to work with you, watch you really taking initiative to make these – I mean, I think second opinions are just an invaluable resource. 

Jersi Baker:
Yeah, because you know, my oncologist, they said something different from the second opinion people. But at the end of the day, she knew that I was going to do whatever I thought was best for me. And at the end of the day, they were all on the same page. So that was very helpful. 

Christine Hodgdon:
Yeah. When I was diagnosed, I did the same thing. I just kept getting more and more opinions and what I was really looking for was consensus. I wanted everybody to be on the same team and especially with any kind of central nervous system metastasis, it can be tricky. You know, it’s just you really need specialists to kind of come in and look at it. Not every local oncology center has neuro-oncologists there. And so who I was recommending are people that actually look at lepto cases quite frequently. 

And so they can actually weigh in and make decisions about what might be your next treatment. And it seemed like all the doctors that we saw had agreed that for you, chemotherapy was the best option because you hadn’t received chemotherapy, any hardcore chemo. Right?

Jersi Baker:
Right, ever.

Christine Hodgdon:
Ever, right. So I think that was where everybody felt pretty strongly. We really need to get some chemotherapy into your system. And like you said, you actually have stable disease now. So I think it’s been successful. I mean, you know, with metastatic disease, we often like to hope for stability.

Jersi Baker:
Right, right.

Christine Hodgdon:
We’d like to see regression. But I think stability is also a win. So I was really happy to hear that when I saw all of your reports on social media about how –

Jersi Baker:
Yeah, so I’m going to actually probably follow up with all of them and say, you know, I’ve been on it since, what June? Yeah. June. And just to see what they’re thinking. I mean, if it’s not broke, don’t fix it, right? 

Christine Hodgdon:
Yes. But yeah, that’s the great thing about a second opinion is that now you’re kind of in their system. They know who you are…

Jersi Baker:
Right.

Christine Hodgdon:
And you can reach out to all of them and say, hey, here’s what my next – here’s where I stand. And they can weigh in. Now I’m curious, did you have any pushback from your local oncologist about getting a second opinion? 

Jersi Baker:
No.

Christine Hodgdon:
That’s great. 

Jersi Baker:
They would never do that. 

Christine Hodgdon:
Well, you’re a very tough, stubborn person. They can’t say no to you. But I think a lot of people are afraid to get second opinions because they’re afraid of offending their current doctors. Would you have any advice for anybody in that situation? 

Jersi Baker:
Do it, I mean, you should do it anyway because you shouldn’t just let, I mean, I had a second opinion when I was initially diagnosed. One said a lumpectomy, once said a mastectomy. And when I got diagnosed stage four, I kept my opinion. I mean, I didn’t mean to say I kept my opinion. I didn’t get a second opinion, but this time I did. 

Christine Hodgdon:
Yeah. Yeah, I think when it’s your life and your health, you don’t want to mess around. You want to make sure you got other people weighing in. And people have different expertise. And I think it’s nice to have multiple eyes on your case. So I’m glad that it was good – at least it was a good experience for you. I’m glad for that.

I was hoping we could find you a clinical trial. Unfortunately, that is something that’s lacking for CNS disease in general. We just don’t have many. But I’m really glad that the chemotherapy is keeping you stable. I was very happy to hear that.

Advice – NOTE: This video is on the Advice Section of the Website

Christine Hodgdon:
Do you have anything else that you wanted to say? Anything at all, if you have, you know, advice or anything hopeful that you want to offer patients living with brain mets? I think you’ve already given us a lot of inspiration.

Jersi Baker:
Stay faithful. I mean, cause my faith was dwindling, you know, find something to motivate you. And that’s the one thing – you know, even if I’m out doing stuff, good things, you know, and when I post about them, just to get the response and everybody cheering you on, and that’s motivation for me, you know. Nobody knows my dark days, but that’s motivation for me. So I appreciate all those kind words and, you know, that push to keep it going.