Fighting for Two: Pregnant with Breast Cancer

In October 2019, Alex was diagnosed with pregnancy related, triple positive breast cancer.  She was 18 weeks pregnant at the time of diagnosis. Three days after initial diagnosis, we found out it spread to her lymph-nodes. Happiness and joy quickly became clouded by fear and anxiety, but there was no time to waste.  Just three short weeks after being diagnosed, Alex and her baby began AC chemo treatments. Together,  they underwent 12 weeks of aggressive chemotherapy.  During that treatment, both Alex and the baby had to receive echocardiograms to closely monitor their hearts and were placed in the care of a high-risk obgyn to monitor the growth of the baby.  The plan is for Alex to deliver the baby at 36 weeks at the end of February so that she can begin the next round of chemotherapy.  Just two weeks after delivery,  Alex will go on to have 12 rounds of weekly Taxol chemotherapy.   Hormone targeted HER2 therapy will begin at the same time and continue for one year.  After the 12 weeks of Taxol chemotherapy, Alex will then undergo surgery to remove the cancer from her breast and lymph nodes.   This will be followed 6 long weeks of daily radiation.   She will also receive an oral hormone targeted pill for the estrogen and progesterone receptors for the next five years.  It’s going to be a long fight but since the day her fight began we have made sure to remind her that no one fights alone, because NO ONE fights ALONE! Cancer is vicious, cancer is sneaky, cancer is ugly, cancer is expensive. We are hoping to help Alex, Jeff, and Baby Girl G enjoy being a family of THREE without the burden of all the crazy expensive medical bills that they have already received and will continue to receive. Alex has handled this whole journey as nothing short of a warrior, she has shown unbelievable strength and determination during this fight for her life as well as her babies life. We can’t take cancer away from her but we can help her take it down!