Content Warning: This article discusses pregnancy and cancer. The Peak urges you to take care of yourself by reading what will best serve you at this time.
Brand new baby; a joyous addition to your family… but something feels off.
On March 25, 2025, I had my second C-section. I felt fine physically, but my gut was telling me something was just not right.
Let’s backtrack… just a little bit.
About a month before, when I was eight months pregnant, I felt a lump in my right breast. I voiced my concern to my OB-GYN at my next appointment, only one week later. She did a breast exam and told me it was my milk coming in, since this is my second pregnancy, and it can come in sooner.
Unfortunately, now I know so many women who are pregnant or breastfeeding have been told the same thing as me.
Let’s face it, the first few months of postpartum are filled with figuring things out; whether it is feeding options, sleeping schedules, or juggling family time with your own time.
Not figuring out if you have cancer.
Little did I know that while being mommy to my new little boy, breast cancer attacked my body, even while he was in the womb.
A Tidal Wave of Emotions
Three months postpartum, I went back to my OB-GYN since my body was going back to somewhat normal (or so I thought), and the lump was still present. This is when my life changed forever.
This summer was filled with scans and doctor appointments to reveal that not only do I have breast cancer, I have stage 4 metastatic breast cancer.
I went from being pregnant to postpartum to menopausal in a matter of three months.
“I cannot believe this is happening to me. I am only 32 years old… Is this really my new life?” I kept asking myself.
How can this be happening? I just had countless ultrasounds, bloodwork tests, urine samples, and even surgery. The anger and frustration that filled my body like a tidal wave was a rush no one deserves. As the days marched on, the support from my husband, children, family, and friends calmed the bursts of these feelings.
The support system of the stage 4 metastatic breast cancer world is unwavering; it is true when thrivers say “worst club with the best people.”
The newborn days with my son have been stolen from me, ripped right out from under me due to breast cancer. The newborn bonding time of feeds and snuggles was replaced with day after day of scans and bloodwork. I am thankful for my family, who watched my baby and three-year-old son throughout the discovery phase of my cancer journey.
When I received my diagnosis, my first thought was “Will I see my sons grow up? There is not one day that goes by that this thought doesn’t pop into my mind; it stops me in my tracks.
Research for metastatic breast cancer is ongoing, so I have hope one day I’ll be cancer-free. METAvivor, for example, is an organization that raises awareness and funds for metastatic breast cancer. I have learned how the donations go directly to research for metastatic breast cancer, such as targeted therapies, clinical trials, and, one day, a cure.
🔬 RELATED: The Breasties Stage 4 Research Grant
Erring on the Side of Caution
Breast cancer in younger women who are not receiving or being offered mammograms has increased. Doctors need to err on the side of caution when young women raise concerns about lumps in their breasts.
According to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, “rates of metastatic breast cancer in women under 40 have risen 3.5 percent each year between 2004 and 2017. Younger women are also more likely to experience a recurrence at five and 10 years after therapy compared to older women.”
Currently, I am six months postpartum and have completed my second cycle of breast cancer medications. My hope is to inspire not only younger women, but all women, to advocate for themselves.
I have learned so much in the last two months about myself and the strength I have to fight for my life while witnessing a new life grow.
Despite my new routine of going to more doctor appointments and taking new medications—now that’s a tough pill to swallow—I am present for my family. I am always a person who likes to help others, and now I hope that my story can help other young women.
As I reflect on my cancer journey, thus far, I would tell other young mothers that the early discovery phase was grueling, but you can do it.
When you look at your babies, you will see hope and strength that you are not only a mother, but a warrior.
