Pregnant Mom Told She Had Clogged Duct. Then Learns It’s Stage 4 Cancer and Given Months to Live (Exclusive)

• Lindsey Parr Gritton was 36 weeks pregnant when she went to the gynecologist concerned about a burning lump in her breast.
• A week later, she found out that it was stage 4 breast cancer and that she had six months to live
• Gritton was induced early so she could start her chemotherapy as soon as possible, starting her long-term treatment plan just a week after birth

Lindsey Parr Gritton was just weeks away from a new bundle of joy when she received the devastating news that her family’s future may never be the same.

In April 2022, the Georgia mom was 36 weeks pregnant with her second child when she visited her obstetrician with a “burning lump in my breast,” she tells PEOPLE.

“I went there and she thought it was a blocked duct or some kind of mastitis,” she recalls. – They didn’t suspect anything.

At her own suggestion, Gritton requested an ultrasound, noting that she doesn’t think she’d be alive today if she hadn’t stood up for herself. “I literally saved my life just by asking for it,” she says.

A few days later, Gritton had an ultrasound and received a call that day with the news that the lump was “highly suspected to be cancerous.”

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Lindsey Parr Gritton pregnancy photo.

Lindsey Parr Gritton

Mom noticed that her child was behaving strangely. A few days later, she revealed it was stage four cancer (exclusive)

“I was really scared,” Gritton recalls. “It was a really emotional time for me because I was pregnant with my second daughter and I had a miscarriage before that, so this was a big deal. I was expecting my rainbow baby.”

Soon after, Gritton had the lump biopsied and they learned she had a “really aggressive type of breast cancer,” although at the time they didn’t know if it had spread. “We just knew it was super aggressive, and I had two breast tumors and a lot of lymph nodes under my arms.”

“Everyone was just devastated and couldn’t believe it, because we don’t have a history of breast cancer in my family on either side. On either my mom’s side or my dad’s side, there’s actually no cancer,” she says. – It was a shock.

The next week, Gritton was induced early at 37 weeks “just to get her out so I could start treatment as soon as possible.”

Lindsey Parr at the hospital with her daughter.

Lindsey Parr Gritton

Gritton’s experience when he welcomed daughter Savannah Grace also caused an uproar.

“I got induced and I started bleeding profusely. I was passing out big blood clots and they were really worried because there was just a ton of blood,” she tells PEOPLE. “They kept putting towels under me because I was losing so much blood and they didn’t know if they were going to have to do an emergency c-section or not.”

“I told them I didn’t want to do a C-section because it would delay chemotherapy for my treatment, and I didn’t want to do that. I wanted a quick recovery so I could start chemotherapy as soon as possible,” she says. “Luckily we managed to get the baby out, but her heart rate was dropping and it was a really scary time. After I gave birth, the bleeding miraculously stopped.”

Just a week after welcoming her daughter, Gritton, who also shares daughter Saylor, 3, with husband Spencer, began chemotherapy.

“It was absolutely devastating,” she says.

“I had a PET scan right after giving birth and they told me I had six months to live,” she says, noting that the cancer had spread and she had more than a dozen tumors on her liver. “It was like the day after, and it was all bad news.”

Lindsey Parr with her daughter.

Lindsey Parr Gritton

Gritton says she went to the hospital every three weeks for an IV, where she had to sit for three hours to receive three drugs, including chemotherapy and immunotherapy drugs.

“It was really, really hard,” she says of the treatments and the separation from her daughters. “Fortunately, I had a lot of help. My husband works from home, so he was able to help a lot even then [we had] my parents and his parents.”

During the six months of treatment, Gritton says she was still able to spend time with her family and felt she was “enjoying every moment even more because I thought I had limited time.”

“I was taking every second, trying to absorb everything,” she remembers. “I made a scrapbook, wrote letters to my kids, made a video, everything. I was trying to do everything I could.”

Lindsey Parr with her daughter.

Lindsey Parr Gritton

Halfway through Gritton’s treatment plan, the mother-of-two had a scan that showed her tumors were shrinking.

“We knew it was really good. We just didn’t know how long this treatment would work,” she explains. “And then at the end of chemotherapy, we didn’t expect it, but it was all gone. My scan showed there was nothing.”

“We were so happy after we found out there was no cancer in my body. We couldn’t, honestly, no one could believe it. It was really crazy and surreal.”

Lindsey Parr with her daughter.

Lindsey Parr Gritton

“After that I went in for a lumpectomy, so they removed where the original tumor was and took out a bunch of lymph nodes,” she continues. “And then it was sent to pathology to see if there were any remaining cancer cells that we could see on the scan. And it came back with nothing.”

“My doctor is still completely shocked that I’m still in remission,” adds Gritton, who says she’s still receiving immunotherapy and will continue to go for checkups every six months. – It is simply a miracle.

Lindsey Parr with family.

Lindsey Parr Gritton

Now, a year and a half after her initial diagnosis, Gritton says she feels great, “even better than before all of this happened.”

The mom of two tells PEOPLE that she’s trying to “live in the moment, not the past” as she’s been celebrating important milestones with her family lately, including her 30th birthday and daughter Savannah’s first birthday.

“It’s really surreal because I just never thought I’d be here. So every moment is just amazing,” she shares.

Lindsey Parr with family.

Lindsey Parr Gritton

As she reflects on her experience, Gritton explains why she felt it was important to document her story online and continue to share news today.

“I wanted to share my story and raise awareness. Everyone thinks breast cancer occurs after 40. You don’t really think about it happening in your 20s,” she says.

“It’s crazy, because I made all these videos when I was first diagnosed, and I never posted them. I remember I posted the first video on TikTok just for my kids to have a video to look back on. I didn’t Expect it to blow up so much,” she continues. – I couldn’t believe it.

She also says she was able to connect with other people through social media who shared similar experiences.

“I actually have two really good friends who had the same type of cancer as me, who are also in remission. We’ve connected and talk via video chat,” she says. “It was great.”

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