Without treatment, the oncologist said, Andy had three to six months to live. 'The big strong man I fell in love with was so fragile, as if he was made of tissue'Īndy’s back pain was the result of a mass of tumours pressing against his spinal column. Less commonly, there are night sweats, unexplained fevers and weight loss,’ he says. ‘Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma tends to manifest in a painless lump, a gland swollen by a centimetre or so.
Initial symptoms are not always easy to spot. There are, says Dr Ardeshna, no typical risk factors for non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma except older age and being male. The affected lymphocytes lose their infection-fighting properties, increasing vulnerability to infection. In lymphoma, these lymphocytes start to multiply in an abnormal way and collect in certain parts of the lymphatic system, such as the lymph nodes (glands). Clear fluid called lymph flows through the lymphatic vessels and contains infection-fighting white blood cells known as lymphocytes. Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma is a cancer of the lymphatic system. ‘The latter is seven times more common, while the former occurs more in young people and is often more treatable.’ ‘Lymphomas are divided into two groups, Hodgkin’s and non-Hodgkin’s,’ he says.
It was at this point he had a full body scan, revealing he had high-grade B Cell lymphoma – the most common form of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, according to Dr Kirit Ardeshna, consultant haemato-oncologist at University College Hospital. Romance blossomed quickly: within three months they moved to Sydney after Vashti was offered work in a design agency.įamily man: A happy snap of Andy with his wife Vashti and children Indigo (left) and Jesse (right) Andy and Vashti, now 39, were in their early 20s when they were introduced by a mutual friend in London. ‘Andy believed that documenting his fight might help others,’ says Vashti. It was a battle he chose to document with the help of award-winning documentary maker Lilibet Foster, who captured hours of intimate footage as Andy fought to get well in turn, defiant, angry, scared and tearful as he confronted his mortality.
He was cast in the title role of the big-budget television remake of Spartacus, and the Welsh-born actor’s performance had captured the imagination of Hollywood.Īndy was preparing to shoot the second series when he was diagnosed and filming was put on hold while he fought the disease. Not only did the timing of Andy’s illness seem so at odds with his happy home life as a loving husband and father but he had just found international fame. ‘In his final words to them, Andy said he had to go to sleep as his body didn’t work, that he was like a butterfly with broken wings, but he would always be with them, watching over them,’ says Vashti.
He left seven-year-old Jesse and four-year-old Indigo with a beautiful image to remember him by. It is the legacy of their father Andy, who died aged 39 last September after an 18-month battle with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, a cancer of the lymphatic system. ‘They call out ‘‘Hi Dad!’’ every time they see one,’ she says. Vashti Whitfield is sitting in the garden, explaining why her two young children get excited when a butterfly flutters past. Built like a warrior: Andy Whitfield as Spartacus in the television remake of the 1960 film