“Keep smiling”: After nearly seven years in remission, Sage Wilder reflects on the power of positivity, finding love, and becoming a father.
In 2017, 22-year-old Sage Wilder led an active life working and playing high-level football. But severe pain and lumps throughout his body led to a shock acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) diagnosis.
“I was relatively fit at the time, obviously with footy and training,” Sage says. “And it just came to a point where, a week or two prior to being diagnosed, I felt a few pains here and there. I just kind of pushed them to the side as a young boy does.”
“I went to the medical centre to get a blood test and a scan. That afternoon, the doctor basically diagnosed me on the spot with leukaemia.”
“I guess both my mum and I went pretty blank, just because we didn’t see this coming. And we just kind of had to stay strong for each other. It was just hitting us what just happened.”
Sage had to put his life on pause to begin intensive treatment immediately. He often reflects on the importance of maintaining a positive mindset, not just for his sake, but for the sake of his family.
“Mentally, I was really positive from day one,” Sage says. “Because my mum and I were together at the time when I first got diagnosed, I knew I had to be strong for her. And doing that allowed me to keep a positive mindset. And throughout treatment, that really helped me a whole lot. So, for the first part of it, I was really good.”
But as treatment went on, Sage’s positive mindset was really put to the test.
“Towards the back end of treatment, that’s when things started to take a turn where I got bogged down and out due to the side effects of the treatment and the way my body was changing and adapting. But it was nice to see that light at the end of the tunnel.”
Doctors immediately began looking at the next steps for Sage, which involved a stem cell transplant thanks to a familiar donor.
“They did a global search but couldn’t find a match,” Sage says. “My sister was a half-match so she couldn’t donate, so they had the option of my mum or dad. We chose my dad as he was a closer match, and it was a great experience knowing that it was coming from him.”
In an allogeneic stem cell transplant, stem cells are donated to the patient from another person who is a genetically matched stem cell donor. This is usually a sibling with the same tissue type as the patient. Where no sibling is available, the parent is considered, usually they are a half match.
For more information, visit our bone marrow donor page.
“I remember him sending me photos on the day as well when he was hooked up to the machine, and we were having a bit of fun just texting each other. For him to put his hand up to donate was very special for me. I was very lucky that my dad was actually my donor.”
Shortly after his stem cell transplant in late 2017, Sage was given the ultimate birthday present when he was told he was in remission.
“I still remember the phone call on my birthday, which was lovely. Hearing the word ‘remission’ was just the best news. It was just a relief.”
From returning to work as a personal trainer and meeting his partner to becoming a father, Sage continued to go from strength-to-strength post-remission.
Despite doctors initially telling Sage he was unlikely to have a child naturally due to the effects of treatment on his body, his partner Milly broke the news that they were going to become parents naturally.
Some types of chemotherapy and radiotherapy may cause a temporary or permanent reduction in a patient’s fertility.
In women, some types of chemotherapy and radiotherapy can cause varying degrees of damage to the normal functioning of the ovaries. In some cases this leads to menopause (change of life) earlier than expected. In men, sperm production can be impaired for a while but the production of new sperm may become normal again in the future. However, there are some options for preserving a patient’s fertility, if necessary, while having treatment for leukaemia.
“It was amazing. I remember she was sitting on the couch when I got home, and I rushed to the kitchen because I was starving. She said ‘aren’t you going to give me a kiss?’, so I quickly rushed over and went in for a kiss, and she popped out the pregnancy test. I was on top of the world.”
In early 2023, Sage and Milly welcomed a healthy baby boy, Ziggy, into the world.
Nearly two years after becoming a father, Sage continues to thrive with his new family. In May this year, he and Milly got married, and he also returned to play rugby in the same month. They have also opened their own group training business called ‘Strong and Mindful Lifestyle’. Sage continues to visit a haematologist every six months to make sure his blood cancer hasn’t returned.
“[Ziggy’s] been just amazing. It’s been beautiful to watch him grow and develop, and I think being a dad too now, it’s just the best experience. Every week just gets better and better and I couldn’t ask for more really.”
Closing in on seven years in remission, he often reflects on the importance of remaining positive throughout his treatment journey, and holding on to the hope that one day, things will be better.
“Having a strong and positive mindset helped me massively. It’s just all about controlling your mind, and just those positive thoughts that you can create within yourself. And I think looking into the future [thinking] what you’re going to do once you get out of this treatment, I think that can be super helpful.”
If you would like to learn more about Sage’s blood cancer journey, listen to the episode of the ‘Talking Blood Cancer’ podcast where he joins host Maryanne Skarparis to share his story.