Pregnant with breast cancer: the incredible story of a woman
Pregnant with breast cancer: the incredible story of a woman
It was September 2007 when Stephanie Hosford, 37, discovered a lump the size of a chickpea.
(iStock)He still did not know, but finding a lump in his chest was only the first in a series of events that changed his life.
It was September 2007 when 37-year-old Stephanie Hosford discovered that lump the size of a chickpea.
At that time, she and her husband, Grant, were raising a small child and trying to expand their family. In fact, they had been in the process of adopting a baby for two years.
A mammogram followed by an ultrasound and a needle biopsy brought disturbing news.
It was a triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), a particularly aggressive form of the disease.
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While waiting for a surgical consultation, Stephanie realized that her breasts were sore and that her period had come late.
After five years of trying to conceive, pregnancy at this time seemed like a remote possibility. But the tests confirmed this latest news.
There was a baby on the way.
Decisions of life or death
"I was completely terrified, confused, not knowing what to do," Hosford told Healthline. "My husband and I had conflicting emotions. We were happy with the pregnancy, but somewhat devastated. "
The news of the surgical consultation was terrible. They were told they would have to interrupt the pregnancy. Then, they organized several other consultations, all resulting in the same heartrending advice.
Then her husband told her that he had heard of a place called City of Hope and that he wanted to get an opinion from one more expert.
Hosford was not anxious to make another appointment or to hear the same news again.
However, they ended up in consultation with Dr. Benjamín Paz, a surgical oncologist from the City of Hope in California, and Hosford said he immediately had a different feeling.
"Dr. Paz is one of the warmest and most sincere people I've ever met, and when we asked about the termination of pregnancy, he said we did not have to, he could get treatment during the pregnancy," Hosford said.
That changed everything.
"When you have a person in front of you, you're not treating cancer," Paz told Healthline. "We tend to focus on the disease and not the person. The first thing you should do is take the time to understand how important all this is for them. What Stephanie and Grant wanted was to live and have a family, not just be a cancer survivor. "
While Paz noted that a pregnancy during cancer can not always be saved, she said she felt there was only a small amount of risk in Hosford's case.
"We know that after the first trimester, many chemotherapy agents are safe and do not affect the fetus," he said.
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Because her cancer was not driven by hormones, it was not affected by the pregnancy itself.
"As a doctor, you should try to help families achieve what they want. There is no doubt that it is scientifically safe to do so. We can treat women during pregnancy, "Paz said.
Cancer treatment, pregnancy and adoption.
Hosford's diagnosis was stage 1 and the tumor was small. She was able to have a lumpectomy during her first trimester.
Once she entered her second trimester, chemotherapy could begin.
During four rounds of chemo, Hosford continued to feel good.
"The craziest part was that I did not get sick, I tolerated it pretty well, I was afraid of not holding it, and the baby might not receive nutrients, but I was watched as crazy and so was the baby, I was told to eat whatever I could. I wondered if it would work until my hair fell out, "said Hosford.
Meanwhile, that adoption continued to advance.
The expected call came in March and Hosford's husband traveled to China to bring his second son, a daughter, to his home.
May turned around and, just in time, Hosford went into labor, giving birth to a healthy child.
But Hosford still has not finished with the treatment. I needed four more rounds of chemotherapy. This time, the effects were "horrible".
After chemotherapy, he chose a double mastectomy with reconstruction on radiation treatment.
She had followed Dr. Paz's advice to think about how she wanted to live.
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"It's an individual choice, you know how you can live your life better, it was great to know that City of Hope was behind me anyway," Hosford said.
Assessing risk
However, Paz points out that Hosford's decision to undergo a double mastectomy did not combat the cancer for which he was already receiving treatment. It was done to reduce your risk in the future.
He clarified that many people tend to confuse cancer treatment with cancer prevention.
"A bilateral mastectomy does not reduce your risk or affect the survival of the cancer for which you were treated. It only decreases the risk of developing a new cancer. That's why I almost never offer bilateral mastectomy to women in treatment, "Paz explained." Stephanie did it through the live treatment and with her daughter, she was still young and had a lot of time to develop a second appearance. BRCA, but her chances were one in four of a second appearance during her life, and she did not want to think about that at all. "
Paz credits the couple's courage for a successful treatment.
"She had the most aggressive form of breast cancer. It took tremendous courage to face cancer, receive treatment and understand the potential for her to die and not be with her children. She and Grant had to be able to say, okay, this could happen, but we still want this child, "Paz said.
He pointed out that another woman in the same circumstances could make a completely different decision. And that is absolutely acceptable, too.
"Each of us handles these problems in a different way. I believe that, as a doctor, you should help your patients and their families make the best decisions on their behalf and support them. They are the heroes of this story, not the doctors, "he said.
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SOURCE LINK ERESVIRAL.COM https://www.beviral.online
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