Cancer and Pregnancy - Mothers Who Are Thriving Despite Having Cancer As Young Adults

Hi Ladies!

It is AYA (Adolescents and Young Adults) Cancer Awareness Week! This week brings awareness to those who currently have or who have had cancer between the ages of 15 to 39. Many people are shocked when they are diagnosed with cancer at a young age. Cancer is something many believe can happen as they grow older, not when they are still growing and developing. Women who are diagnosed young, not only fight for their lives, but they must make difficult decisions before they are thinking about having a child which may affect fertility later.

Some of the issues that AYAs face are isolation, debt, fear of death, problems with relationships, sexuality, infertility, and they often don’t receive the emotional support they need.

A friend of mine, Julia, is a mother today, but when she was a young adult, she developed Hodgkin’s Lymphoma and had to have treatment. Great news is that she beat it and became a mother last year! Throughout her pregnancy journey, she felt great physically and emotionally. And in September, she had a beautiful, healthy baby girl. I was so happy for her!

Lauren is another woman who had cancer young and beat it. Lauren was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. She beat it twice! But when she was 24 years old, she was told by her oncologist, when she had her relapse, that her treatment could prohibit for from having children. Lauren was stunned. She had just finished college and wasn’t considering having kids at that moment, but she had to quickly make some difficult and costly decisions. I won’t get into Lauren’s full story which will be included in my new book, but I wanted to inspire you to know that she recently had twin boys!

To strengthen her body, Lauren got into fitness and developed a healthy mindset.

I want to inspire all young women that even if you currently have cancer, there is hope and proof that it is possible to have children one day. Julia beat cancer and became a mother. Not only that, but she beat another odd by having her daughter at fifty. Lauren beat Hodgkin’s Lymphoma twice and not only did she have one child, but she had twins!

Thank you for the inspiration, ladies!

Healthy Lauren - Photography by Diana Davis

Throughout Lauren’s ups and downs, she remembers this inspirational motto by Ralph Marston:

“Commit to your highest vision, putting action and persistence behind that commitment. Remind yourself to live as though every moment matters, for indeed every moment does.”

I hope you will read my new book, Shock and Awe: Unifying Women Around The World Through Childbirth, so that you can learn more about Lauren’s pregnancy journey. It is an amazing story!

Comment below. Were you aware that it is AYA Cancer Awareness Week? Were you aware that many women who go through cancer treatments as young adults become infertile? Did you overcome cancer and become pregnant? Share your story. Are you taking consistent actions to make your dreams come true? Are you focused on your mindset, your health, and your fitness? Are you holding onto your highest visions despite your greatest challenges?

To receive weekly updates about this blog, click here.