She went to in vitro fertilization after her husband was diagnosed with a brain tumor. But now they both have to fight cancer.
Sarah, 33, and Matt, 37, her husband, were planning children, but someday, not now. In the midst of a pandemic, it seems like not the best time to deal with family expansion. The diagnosis “malignant brain tumor” sounded like a bolt from the blue. Matt was seriously ill, and the doctors tried not to give the couple any predictions for the future. The only thing they advised was to take care of the offspring. After all, after aggressive anti-cancer therapy, Matt could remain sterile. If he survives at all, of course.
Sarah decided on IVF, it was the only option. Even if Matt does not, she will still be able to raise a child, and his part will always remain with her. The procedure began: the first infusion was unsuccessful, and after the second round, Christine conceived twins. But the joy was short-lived. In the eighth week of pregnancy, the girl suffered a miscarriage. The last embryo remained, the last attempt. And everything worked out – Sarah became pregnant safely and suffered the first, most dangerous trimester. But fate has prepared another blow for the couple.
“Once I was changing clothes in the gym and felt a lump in my chest. I thought it was a blockage of the milk duct, this often happens during pregnancy. But just in case I decided to go to the doctor, ”Sarah recalls.
She was firmly convinced that this was just a bump that would dissolve by itself, nothing serious. But it turned out that this is a triple negative breast cancer – one of the most aggressive types of breast cancer. It spreads very quickly, does not respond to hormone therapy, and is most common in women under 40.
Sarah underwent a mastectomy, and at the 20th week of pregnancy she began treatment – grueling chemotherapy.
“I had no thoughts about abortion. After all, this was our last chance to become parents, ”the woman says.
Chemotherapy was very difficult for her. After all, the load on the body was simply monstrous. And because of the lockdown, Matt could not even support her: he was not allowed to enter the hospital. Fortunately, Sarah turned out to be a real fighter: she changed her wigs almost every day, shot optimistic videos – in general, she kept herself up. The cancer was receding. And in due time, her son was born, the boy was named Elijah. Sarah is currently undergoing radiation therapy and is babysitting her eight-month-old baby. Elijah is happiness! – was born a completely healthy baby.
By the way, Matt also feels quite well, contrary to forecasts. The treatment is bearing fruit, and doctors hope that young parents will be able to forget this story like a bad dream.
“Yes, I have cancer. But cancer will never get me. ” Elijah’s mom is determined to win. And this is already half the success – even doctors say that the confidence that everything can be overcome works wonders.
Doctor of Medical Sciences, laureate of the RF Government Prize, founder and head of the ART-IVF reproductive health clinic
www.art-ivf.ru/
“Pregnancy is a long process. All these nine months, a woman has been living with a completely different hormonal background than she had before pregnancy. During this period, changes in the body can indeed occur, which can trigger the development of oncological diseases. At the same time, pregnancy itself does not cause cancer and does not increase the risk of its occurrence. As a rule, problems arise in women who have suffered from the disease even before conception. For example, pregnancy can provoke a worsening of glioblastoma (a brain tumor from which Zhanna Friske died and which Anastasia Zavorotnyuk is now struggling with. – Prim. row.). But this does not mean that IVF or pregnancy leads to this disease. “