Couple faced diagnosis with lifetime commitment to love one another

Eric Bailey’s words for second cancer diagnosis: “I beat it before; I’ll beat it again.”

By TJ Banes, IU Health Senior Journalist, tfender1@iuhealth.org

Something stood out on Eric Bailey’s finger as he received a hand massage from therapist Michelle Bailey. It was a new silver wedding band.

Massage therapy is part of holistic care offered to patients through CompleteLife at IU Health Simon Cancer Center. Patients also receive yoga, art, and music therapy along with spiritual care and wig fittings.

Eric Bailey, 30, is not related to Michelle Bailey but the therapist said Eric reminds her of her son. As she massaged his hand, Michelle Bailey explained how the technique connects the body’s meridians by stimulating energy pathways in the fingers, palms and wrists. Eric was complaining of a headache and said the massage helped him relax. It also improves circulation.

“I use my hands a lot working on the computer,” said Eric. As he talked, he glanced at his laptop – open with a screensaver picturing him and his new wife, Rachel Metzler.

And that’s where his story begins – the silver ring on his left hand.

It was April 2021 when Eric and Rachel first met on a dating site. He was 25 and Rachel was 26.

“From the moment we met I was captivated by how soft and kindhearted Eric is. I wish I had all the right words to properly convey what a kind and thoughtful person he is. It may sound like a cliche, but Eric genuinely sees the good in people. That is one of the things I admire the most about him,” said Metzler.

Eight months after they met, in December, Bailey was diagnosed with Acute myeloid leukemia (AML), a fast-growing cancer of the blood and bone marrow. He started out 2022 at IU Health Simon Cancer Center where he underwent seven days of continuous chemotherapy.

Life went on. Bailey, who was born in Terre Haute, spent most of his life in northern Alabama. His family returned to Indiana when he was in high school. He graduated from Lafayette’s McCutcheon High School where he played baritone in the school’s band. It was also during those formative years when Bailey was first introduced to the adverse effects of cancer. He and his younger sister helped care for his mother as she fought her way through breast cancer.

“I think the biggest thing I learned from that was when my mom sat us down to tell us of her diagnosis,” said Bailey. “I expect someone to cry and yet I felt like I under-reacted because I was brutally positive that she’d get through it. That’s what got me through my first diagnosis.” Bailey’s mom is in remission.

The first time he was diagnosed, there were symptoms, what he described as “weird pain in in his head and neck.” At the time he was working at a retail store doing physical labor so he thought that might have been the cause. Then he had swelling in his throat and difficulty breathing. This time he had no symptoms. It was routine blood work that the led to his AML diagnosis.

“I say, ‘I beat it before and I’ll beat it again,’” said Bailey. It’s that kind of positive attitude that propels him through each day as he undergoes an aggressive regimen. He is in the care of IU Health’s Dr. Seyed Sayar.

Last time, he had Metzler by his side. This time, he again has Metzler again by his side – as his wife.

“Eric and I had been talking about getting married for a while. When his cancer came back, we decided we want to be married now,” said Metzler, who retained her maiden name. On one of the hottest days in mid-July, they went to Newfields and proposed to each other in front of the Oldfields – Lilly House & Gardens. Bailey had purchased an engagement ring in May and surprised Metzler. On July 15 they were married at the Hamilton County Courthouse. Afterward, they ate at a diner and a stranger picked up their meal.

Since then, the couple has joined forces to face Bailey’s cancer. Last time he was hospitalized, Metzler filled a box with inspiring notes – one for every day Bailey was hospitalized. She did the same this time.

Bailey keeps both boxes near his bedside. As he looks through the original box, his eyes glisten and he says, “I’ve kept the first box here because this is when I knew I wanted to marry her. It’s the sweetest thing anyone has ever done for me.”

He pulls out one note and reads it aloud: “I hope this brings you sunshine. Don’t forget you have many days ahead of you.” It includes a Spotify code for the song, “Walking on Sunshine.”

Another note has this message: “I want to grow old with you.”

And as they start their married life, living in Carmel, Bailey reflects on a life where he and his wife try new foods, watch “trashy reality tv,” and play “obscure board games.” He works as a broker for Charles Schwab and is comfortable sharing with work acquaintances and others his thoughts on cancer.

“Some days I dream of getting over cancer – of it being a thing of my past,” said Bailey. His wife refers to a favorite quote from author Chanel Miller: “Good things come from the universe holding hands. Wait for the good to come.”