NEWCASTLE lord mayor Ross Kerridge was walking into a media interview to discuss the anniversary of his tough first year in office when the message came.
He was nursing a sore back and had been sent for a scan.
"I had an MRI on my back on September 26 as an incidental thing, not expecting any problems," he said.
"I got a text saying there is something that we've seen."
A flurry of appointments and tests was booked for the coming days, and Cr Kerridge went back to work.
Looking back, the 69-year-old says he'd felt tired and run-down for several months, was having trouble sleeping and had some night sweats, but put it down to the "stresses of the political situation".
Having walked headfirst into the thick of Newcastle council's confrontational politics, he was looking forward to recharging the batteries during a "much-anticipated" two-and-a-half-week holiday in England with his wife, Marion, for their godson's wedding.
"We literally had our bags packed, and we were driving to Sydney, and got the call. 'No, you've got to come in and see us', ' he said.
"And one hour later, we're still driving to Sydney for our family dinner that night prior to leaving for England, and yes, had to cancel the flights."
Additional scans confirmed an aggressive blood cancer, diffuse B-cell lymphoma.
It's a type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma, which is a group of cancers that trigger white blood cells to grow uncontrollably and cause masses to form in the lymph nodes and other parts of the body.
In Cr Kerridge's case, they are at the back of his abdomen, and exactly what caused it is unclear.
"It came as a hell of a shock," he said.
"The day I was diagnosed coincided with my son's birthday and our grandson's first birthday.
"We were driving down to Sydney to have a big celebration dinner, and that wasn't quite the way it turned out."
Doctors have told Cr Kerridge that 55 per cent of people with this lymphoma live beyond five years after their diagnosis. He's already undergone the first of six rounds of chemotherapy that will end in early January.
"That's potentially a cure anyway," he said. "So those who come through have long-term cure."
He stepped down as lord mayor until mid-January. Asked about the likelihood of returning to the top job then, he was hopeful.
"It's early days and it will depend on how we go with the treatment," he said.
"There are all sorts of things that can happen after that, which I don't want to think about at the moment, because I've seen friends go through it."
The doctor's orders are to avoid stress, and he's started an exercise program for people undergoing chemotherapy.
The first round of chemo "knocked" his voice; he's fatigued and more easily agitated. He laughs as he explains that he discovered at the University of Newcastle's 60th birthday celebration last week, where he was the keynote speaker, that he no longer likes red wine.
"I was sitting opposite the vice chancellor, and I had some wine, and I almost said, 'Geez, Alex, you're not wasting money on the wine,'" he said.
"But it turns out that's the effect of the chemo. And, so all of a sudden, wine tastes absolutely foul. All my other food seems to taste OK at the moment."
Initially, only a handful knew - family, close friends and medical staff. Word spread quietly, but Cr Kerridge wanted to keep it tight.
"At first you don't want to say anything because you're just so emotionally fragile," he said.
"Lots of mixed feelings. Frustrated and sad at times and loss and going through all the usual stages of grief, shock, denial, anger, bargaining and then acceptance, let's get on with it and hope for the best."
Instead of holidaying in England, the past few weeks have been filled with appointments, tests, his first chemotherapy session at Newcastle Private Hospital and sleepless nights coming to terms with the diagnosis.
Looking on, a tear rolls down Marion's face as Cr Kerridge explains how it was a lot to process for the family.
"Three weeks ago it was, you know, we were pretty fragile then," he said. "Feeling a bit stronger now."
Speaking on the importance of family, Cr Kerridge said Marion had "been the rock of my life".
The couple, who have been married 36 years, are no strangers to life-threatening illnesses.
October 15 marked Cr Kerridge's first day of chemo, one day and 24 years after he suffered horrific injuries in a helicopter accident that saw him in hospital for six months.
Working with a Careflight helicopter medical retrieval service early in his specialist career, Cr Kerridge survived a near-death fall when a short circuit cut the helicopter's winch cable and he fell to the ground.
Now the couple is bracing for another battle. Last Friday, Cr Kerridge made a public statement about his illness.
The day before, he toured Nihon University's Newcastle campus, and things took a turn.
Reality hit home.
"At the end of that, I was knocked flat and I had to lie down for three hours," he said.
Within days, he was scheduled to lead a council delegation to Japan to commemorate a long-standing sister city partnership with Ube City.
He talked to his doctor, who said, "You've got to pull the pin".
But Cr Kerridge wasn't ready to tell his story - one he was still processing and trying to understand.
Despite downing tools as a senior specialist anaesthesiologist in October last year after 40 years in medicine, cancer is not his specialty.
"In some ways it's sort of like a leukaemia," he said. "It spreads through the lymph glands, so you get swollen glands in separate parts of the body.
"In my case, they are at the back of my abdomen. And exactly what causes it for most people isn't clear. And in my case, it's not clear. As I say, it's potentially curable and needs treatment."
Looking for a silver lining, Cr Kerridge, a man who prefers transparency, said he would be glad when it was all over. After this interview is published, his private cancer diagnosis will no longer be a secret.
Unable to travel to Japan, and with other councillors already questioning his whereabouts, one describing him as missing in action, he knew he had to say something.
But he wasn't yet ready to talk publicly about the cancer or his prognosis.
"I had to say look, I'm not going and had to give some reason, but I didn't want to come out with it then...," he said.
"I just put out a very limited press release, really just a statement, just saying that there was a reason why I was taking leave, and I left it at that.
"That was all I was up to at the time, and I've spent the last week thinking, 'You've got to come out with more.'"
He doesn't want sympathy or for this to be a sob story. He repeatedly stresses how many others are touched by a cancer diagnosis every day.
"Having made that announcement about a serious medical issue, I've been amazed by the response, the calls and texts, which is great, but look, I'm not Robinson Crusoe, there are plenty of people who have gone through this," he said.
"I know as a doctor I've seen it, and I've had friends go through it as well."
While Cr Kerridge needs to prioritise his health, he'll still be around.
"I'm hoping that I'll still be able to attend some events, but at the moment I'm a councillor on leave," he said.
"I'll keep posting some thoughts on Facebook about what's going on, but I don't think I'm up for the lord mayor's position. And that's for the time being."