Woman 'Shocked' to Learn of Cancer Diagnosis Days Before Giving Birth: 'Not Something You Expect'

A 34-year-old mother in England found out she had breast cancer shortly before giving birth to her first child.

Laura Hudson, of Manchester, was diagnosed with stage 2, stage 3 breast cancer at 36 weeks pregnant in November 2023 after discovering a lump in her right breast, according to a press release from The Christie NHS Foundation Trust in the UK on Thursday. November 14.

The mother-to-be had the findings confirmed after a doctor’s visit and imaging and biopsy, and was then ordered for an emergency C-section less than a week later, according to the statement. She welcomed her daughter Aurora on November 14, 2023.

“When they told me I had cancer, it completely broke me,” Hudson said, according to the post. “…I was in a full pregnancy bubble, preparing to become a mom for the first time, so I never thought that it could be something so serious. I immediately thought of Aurora and what was going to happen to her.”

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A gynecologist performs an ultrasound of a child on a pregnant woman (photo).

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Hudson was told after her first visit to the doctor about the lump that it was “most likely pregnancy related,” she said BBC. When the lump got bigger, her doctor “sent a request for further checks,” she recalled to the outlet.

Hudson told the BBC that she and her husband Sam were “so shocked because it’s not something you expect, especially during pregnancy”, adding that “her first thought was my baby”.

She welcomed her daughter Aurora safely at 37 weeks and had just three weeks to recover before starting chemotherapy at The Christie NHS Foundation Trust at her home in Wigan, Wales.

“Being a new mom is hard enough, but going through cancer treatment was almost unbearable,” Laura told The Christie, according to a press release.

Pregnant woman in silhouette (photo).

“…I didn’t get to do as much as I wanted to with Aurora, which was heartbreaking and sometimes made me feel like an inadequate mom, but having her back after a day in the hospital helped me get through it. Whenever I had a particularly difficult moment, I would focus on her.”

The mother of one thanked her husband and parents for their support through the ordeal, calling them “my rocks”.

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Laura had a mastectomy and breast reconstruction in April 2024 and 15 sessions of radiotherapy, completing her treatment in August. He is now cancer-free, according to the post.

“My active treatment is now complete and I couldn’t be happier,” she said, according to the post. “I want to do everything I can to keep it from coming back,” she said, adding that she is on medication and “going to have the other breast removed next year.”

Hudson added: “We don’t know what this means for having more children in the future, but we are so lucky to have had Aurora – other women are not so lucky.”

Hudson and her husband recently celebrated their daughter’s first birthday, and the mother of one told the BBC that life with her little girl is “amazing – she’s made the last year worth living.”

“Laura is an inspiring woman,” said Laura’s adviser at The Christie, Dr. Claire Kelly, according to the post. “By sharing her story, she’s also raising awareness. A lump isn’t the only symptom of breast cancer, so it’s important that people get checked regularly and know what’s normal for them.”

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Source: HIS Education