I want to start off by saying I would go through everything again if that's what I had to do to have the life I have now (not that I'd want to, but I would).
When my husband and I decided to have kids we had no idea what that journey would look like. After three miscarriages (the first of which made me so sick I couldn't work, eat, drink..) and at the age of 41, I finally got pregnant with our daughter. The time between the miscarriages and finally having one "stick" was almost exactly a year. I was just a month or so off my last miscarriage when I found out I was pregnant. It was a tough pregnancy, the horrible, debilitating "morning" sickness, a test that could mean our daughter had down syndrome (she didn't), and health issues of my own. But we were so excited! I was scheduled for an induction, as I have had two open heart surgeries, one of which I had my aorta valve replaced, so the doctor didn't want me to have any hard labor (that didn't really work out, but that's another story). About a week and a half before my induction I found an egg sized lump on my right breast. Everything happened pretty quickly after that. I had a breast ultra sound, met with a surgeon, and had a biopsy all before my scheduled induction. The surgeon and some of the folks assisting with the biopsy thought it was going to be benign. Unfortunately, that turned out not to be the case. The day after our daughter Lily was born, we were informed that I had breast cancer, caused by my pregnancy and perhaps by the three miscarriages as well. But I was lucky, it hadn't spread.
Chemo was tough, I missed a lot of time with Lily in the beginning. But, my family and friends were amazing and supportive. I couldn't have made it without them. And especially my husband, I am so blessed to have him by my side.
And now I have my miracle, my Lily.
Ruston, WA
