My Faith Journey with Breast Cancer

Going through breast cancer, Amy has witnessed many blessings during her cancer treatment, including the birth of her baby, who was born during chemotherapy. Visit http://www.oacancer.com/faith-breast-cancer-story/ to learn more about how Amy has found strength in her faith and how she hopes her story will help other cancer patients find encouragement in their own faith and fight with cancer.

Oncology Associates provides personalized cancer care and treatment at two Omaha clinics as well as at cancer care clinics throughout Nebraska, including Blair, Norfolk and Holdrege.

The cancer physicians of Oncology Associates include:

* Stephen J. Lemon, MD
* Irina E. Popa, MD
* Susan Constantino, MD

These cancer survivors and patients videos are produced by Dr. Stephen J. Lemon of Oncology Associates to help provide useful cancer information to cancer patients and survivors. Visit http://www.oacancer.com/oncology-video-center/oncology-associates-patient-stories/ to watch other cancer survivor and patient videos.

** Breast Cancer Survivor Amy Shares Her Story of Going Through Pregnancy During Her Cancer Treatment **
“For nine years I was a stay at home mom, and I did everything from PTA to Mommy and Me, anything and everything that involved the children, up until my husband got laid off. I was happy that I was healthy enough at the time to go out and help the family out, I had about three different jobs at one point, working up to 75 hours a week. In June 2011 I found out that we were expecting baby number four, which was a huge blessing. It was unexpected, the doctors had told me it would be a miracle for us to have another child, so you know, it was highly unexpected, but such a blessing.

About a month after that I had gone in for a physical, and I got a phone call, it was actually on my birthday, I believe it was, I had just turned 32. The doctor said you do in fact have breast cancer. So you go from being excited that you’re going to have a brand new baby, and the excitement turns to worry at the same time. At that point I didn’t know if I was even going to get to keep the baby. We got sent over to Loma Linda, ended up having the mastectomy right at my three month mark. If I didn’t have the mastectomy there would be a good chance that I wouldn’t be alive to even see the baby. Exactly six weeks out of that, I started chemo, and I was on chemo until I was 32 weeks pregnant. I was told by the oncologist that if my body and the baby as well didn’t have at least a bare minimum of four weeks out of chemo, that it could be deadly for both of us because our immune systems were compromised.

We were praising God when we hit the 36 week mark, and Chase was born December 31st, he’s a New Year’s Eve baby. I told the kids that every year the entire world will celebrate his birthday, they just don’t know they’re celebrating his birthday. He’s our miracle baby, he’s such a huge blessing to our entire family, especially after all we went through, we all needed something to give us hope.

Then in February of 2012 I had the right breast removed, and they went in and took all the lymph nodes out of the left breast at the same time, and they gave me almost exactly six weeks, again, recovery out of that one to start radiation. God has been so good through it all. Their goal was to cure me, not just treat me, so as of now I am cancer-free.

The diagnosis was actually a blessing in disguise. It had allowed me to slow down and really focus on what was important in life. I find the most enjoyment with the kids, from helping them with their homework to riding horses to watching them play in the yard. There’s very rarely an animal I tell them they can’t have. I love every moment with them. Once you’re faced with possibly not having them and the thought that they might not have their mommy, it really tends to make you reprioritize just how important everything is.

To me, life in general is what I celebrate. Every day, waking up and just being able to wake up really, from the air that we breathe to changing diapers, it all becomes enjoyable, the things that I think a lot of people take for granted on an everyday basis. I celebrate every moment of every day.”