Big Ideas Surfer Tim Baker and doctor Peter Goldsworthy on living well with cancer
Dec 17, 2025
Tim Baker, a journalist and patient advocate living with prostate cancer, shares his journey of reclaiming agency after diagnosis. He discusses the importance of exercise and emotional support in navigating treatment. Dr. Peter Goldsworthy, a GP and memoirist, reflects on how cancer transformed his practice and understanding of patient care. Both guests emphasize the need for empathy in medicine, the therapeutic benefits of creative expression, and the paradoxical gift of cancer that brings focus and gratitude for meaningful living.
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Hormone Therapy’s Hidden Costs
- Tim Baker argues hormone therapy for prostate cancer is understudied and under-discussed despite huge side effects.
- He says exercise should be prescribed alongside hormone therapy to manage its harms and preserve quality of life.
Diagnosis Delivered Coldly
- Tim recounts the urologist showing a bone scan and saying 'the horse has bolted' when cancer had spread to bone.
- He describes feeling stripped of agency and told there was nothing he could do beyond submitting to treatment.
Negotiating Treatment Timing
- Peter Goldsworthy recounts learning he'd likely need a stem cell transplant and accepted a limited prognosis calmly.
- He negotiated to delay chemo until attending a play opening, showing agency amid treatment planning.