{"id":26485,"date":"2020-10-27T17:24:24","date_gmt":"2020-10-27T17:24:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/cmshub.wpengine.com\/?p=325735"},"modified":"2024-11-03T15:16:15","modified_gmt":"2024-11-03T15:16:15","slug":"woman-battles-breast-cancer-while-pregnant-delivers-healthy-baby-boy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ogkologos.com\/en\/woman-battles-breast-cancer-while-pregnant-delivers-healthy-baby-boy\/","title":{"rendered":"Woman Battles Breast Cancer While Pregnant, Delivers Healthy Baby Boy"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/span><\/p>\n

When she was six months pregnant, Desiree Doughty<\/a> noticed that something seemed to be wrong with her breasts.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI noticed that one of my breasts was bigger than the other,\u201d she says. \u201cI immediately became alert, because breast cancer runs in my family. My mother died of breast cancer at age 47.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Desiree, a preschool teacher, immediately took the issue to her OB\/GYN, who referred her for a mammogram and a biopsy.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span><\/p>\n

No mother wants to learn that she has breast cancer, especially while she\u2019s pregnant. But it\u2019s a good thing that Desiree got checked out when she did. A week after her biopsy, she was diagnosed with stage III breast cancer<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>
Photo: Facebook\/Desiree Doughty<\/a><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cMy heart just dropped when I received the diagnosis,\u201d says Desiree. \u201cFor a moment, I just froze, and I couldn\u2019t say anything. Once I got home, I was able to let out my emotions and cry, and later told my immediate family.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Right away, Desiree started seeing Dr. Judith Hurley<\/a>, a UHealth oncologist specializing in breast cancer and research at Jackson Memorial Hospital\u2019s Ambulatory Care Center. A week after she was diagnosed with cancer, she was at Jackson Memorial Hospital, being treated with chemotherapy. She underwent nine rounds of chemotherapy before giving birth.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cFrom the beginning, our goal has been to cure her cancer, and save her life,\u201d says Dr. Hurley. \u201cPsychologically, it\u2019s harder because everything is focused on the patient, but there are two competing needs when the patient is pregnant.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>
Photo: Facebook\/Desiree Doughty<\/a><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Dr. Hurley says she\u2019s proud of how calm and positive Desiree stayed during this difficult time. Being treated for cancer in the middle of a pandemic is no joke, and neither is being treated for cancer while pregnant.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI was always afraid for my baby and worried he would be born with a birth defect,\u201d says Desiree. \u201cBut I always kept a positive attitude and stayed upbeat through my treatments.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

But in the end, all went well. Desiree gave birth via C-section to a baby boy named Karter<\/a> on May 28th. Karter spent six days in the NICU at Holtz Children\u2019s Hospital for observation, but he was found to be completely healthy and normal and was sent home to be with his family. He\u2019s now a healthy four-month-old.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>
Photo: Facebook\/Desiree Doughty<\/a><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Following her son\u2019s birth, Desiree spent some time recovering before undergoing six more rounds of chemo. Later, she will have a hysterectomy and double mastectomy to keep her from getting breast or ovarian cancer in the future, since she\u2019s a carrier of a BRCA gene mutation<\/a> which increases her chances of cancer. She hopes to complete all her treatment this year, and she has already returned to teaching.<\/span><\/p>\n

Don\u2019t forget to do your self-checks on a regular basis and see your doctor if you have any questions or concerns. It could save your life!<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\"Elizabeth<\/p>\n

\n

Elizabeth Nelson is a wordsmith, an alumna of Aquinas College in Grand Rapids, a four-leaf-clover finder, and a grammar connoisseur. She has lived in west Michigan since age four but loves to travel to new (and old) places. In her free time, she. . . wait, what\u2019s free time?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n

\n

<\/p>\n

Provide Mammograms<\/h5>\n

Support those fighting Breast Cancer at The Breast Cancer Site<\/span> for free! \u2192<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n