Mom Chooses The Greatest Gift (Her unborn son's life over cancer treatment)

WKRC ^ | 5/26/2011 | WKRC

[TSgt]

It was supposed to be one of the happiest times of her life. A woman struggling with infertility, finally gets pregnant. But then she faces an awful choice; end the pregnancy and start treatment to save her own life, or delay treatment until after giving birth. Her story has lessons for all of us.
"Here's your sucker, can I try it? Haha. I wanna try it!"
Meet Eli, the boy his family calls 'a miracle'. Andy and Jennifer Daniel went through 5 years of infertility before finally achieving pregnancy through in-vitro fertilization.
"She had been waiting for so long for the blessing of a child, and me of course, we definitely wanted him."
But there was a problem. At the end of her first trimester, Jennifer was diagnosed with inflammatory breast cancer, and needed immediate perhaps life-saving surgery and chemotherapy.
"Some women would've opted to end the pregnancy, but she was able to receive the 1st half of chemo with no harm to her baby."
For Jennifer, there was no other choice. She continued the pregnancy, and delivered Eli at 36 weeks.
"She was on cloud nine you couldn't rip the smile off her face when we first had Eli."
"He was a miracle, that early, he should've been on oxygen or stayed in the hospital, but he wasn't. He came when we needed him to come."
A week after delivery, Jennifer had a radical mastectomy and began full chemo. Six months later, she had a hysterectomy and her tubes and ovaries were removed, because she was at very high risk for ovarian cancer.
"It was tough watching her go through it, but her faith kept her strong."
Strong enough to take part in the race for the cure last year to help fund breast cancer research. Through it all she kept a journal.
"Her quotes she did, it was always: I'm so blessed. I watched my baby sleep. my miracle. I love my husband. It's a great day outside. I love my life."
Two months ago, Jennifer lost her battle at the age of 29... Eli was just 22 months old, she had no regrets about choosing the greatest gift.
"She amazed everyone around her. Until the end. The night she passed, she was singing amazing grace."
Jennifer's incredible story of selflessness and love... is also an opportunity to educate women. Turns out, Gennifer's grandma, great grandma, and aunts had breast and ovarian cancer, and after she got sick, she tested positive for the BRCA gene mutation.
"Although family history helps us with risk assessment, it's most informative if we can test a person who's had one of these cancers in the family."
You may be at an increased risk, and consider genetic testing, if your family has a history of: -cancer diagnosed under the age of 50 -more than one cancer in the same person -breast and ovarian cancer in close family members -male breast cancer
Whether earlier testing would've made a difference in Jennifer's case is hard to say. But Jennifer had no regrets, no second thoughts. She chose life for Eli.
"She was amazing."
Genetic testing involves a simple blood test, then a meeting with a specialist who interprets the results. The cost is about $3,400, and insurance companies usually cover it for women at increased risk for breast cancer.

[TSgt]

I didn't quite grasp unconditional love until I held my first child 6 months ago. I can only imagine what it feels like for my wife who carried him 9 months before that.

I pray that God keeps them both safe and healthy.

[momtothree]

A very sad story. I know several women who have battled cancer (some lost) who had in vitro. I am beginning to wonder about all the drugs, hormones etc.. that can make a woman more fertile isn’t poison.

[AU72]

I wonder if the instinct to perpetuate the human race is stronger than self-preservation?

[MsLady]

The greatest gift of all, life. These two will one day again be reunited in heaven. God bless this family.

[Sunshine Sister]

There are no words to describe the selfless love this Mom showed her child. Amazing.

[Rebelbase]

Unconditional love. Similar to a story I saw on the news last night about a 29 year old woman in Joplin whose house was destroyed in the tornado. Her husband laid on top of her in the tub to protect her and suffered a puncture wound through his back that was fatal.

[RockinRight]

A side question:

Why, with all the amazing advances we DO have, can’t we find a more effective way to cure cancer?

There have been some basic tests of various ways to make the body’s own immune system beat the cancer (since it’s usually something awry in the immune system that let’s it take hold in the first place) but it never comes to fruition.

[afraidfortherepublic]

When I was pregnant with my first child, I worked as a transcriptionist in the medical records department of a hospital in Illinois. I had a lot of interaction with the doctors, as I was responsible for turning their scribbles into readable documents before they were studied by the monthly peer reviews.

Each record must carry a 2 letter code so that references could be included statistically with like records. Part of my job was to comb through all the notes and apply the proper code. Often it involved extensive detective work because the records were nearly blank. I was very puzzled one morning because the record I was trying to decipher carried vague references to both obstetrics and cancer. The young doctor of record happened to come into my office about then, and I asked him what this case was all about so that I could “code” it correctly.

“Both,” he said. “What should I do?”

“Deliver the baby, and then treat her for cancer,” I suggested. (Who was I to suggest such a thing — a 21 year old wife expecting her first child with no medical training other than to transcribe records?)

The doctor shook his head sadly and said, “Unfortunately, that is not an option. The cancer will grow 3 times as fast during pregnancy. They will likely both die,” and he nearly burst into tears.

Although abortion was not an option then, either, he could have performed one to save her life. But, he and I were both Catholic and never would have dreamed such a solution.

I never found out what happened to that patient, or that doctor, as my baby was born shortly thereafter; and I did not go back to that job. But, I’ve thought about all of them from time to time over the years.

Truth be told, there wasn’t much they could have done medically for the mother’s cancer either in that time frame (1959). They might just as well allowed her to carry the child as this woman did, leaving it as her legacy, as harsh as that sounds. Very sad story, indeed.

May they R.I.P.

[redgolum]

Culture of life.

[Berlin_Freeper]

If you know a woman who wants to have a baby but is unable to because she is barren, that is a very depressed person who needs lots of your prayers.

I don't really know a person like that but I know of a person like that because I was looking up some people I used to know and then came across the blog of a woman that was a past girlfriend of mine.

She is married but is generally very sad because she is barren yet desperately wanted to have her own baby. Her blog is actually titled “Barren and Bitter” and is very depressing to read.

There is more to the story but I will leave it at that.

Bottom line is I can especially see a woman that was having difficulty with fertility would do this. But I would like to think all woman would do this, if it sadly came to it.

[TribalPrincess2U]

a simple blood test, a meeting with a specialist who interprets the results. The cost is about $3,400,

Rather expensive. I know, it's all about research. Still—come on.

[yellow rubber ducky]

My mother became pregnant with me when she was 38, on the pill, and on a strict diet to lose weight (she was a size 10, and wanted to get back to an 8). She pretty much was starving herself, and not losing any weight. So she goes to the doctor, and he tells her two things: You have cancer, and you’re pregnant. You’ll have a few weeks to live after the baby is born, that’s all.

So she gave birth to me, and waited for 6 months to die, all the while feeling fine. So she goes in and asks, why aren’t I dead?

The doctor told her that the cancer had gone into remission during the pregnancy, and he’d forgotten to tell her!

This leaves 2 options. The first is that it was a false positive on the cancer test. The second is that she did indeed have cancer, and would have died from it, but she became pregnant with me, and the pregnancy killed the cancer. I wonder if she had aborted me, and did have cancer, if the cancer would have killed her.

[DeoVindiceSicSemperTyrannis]

My screen is all blurry.

[Crcl1]

Mine, too.

May God show her the same love she possessed.

[editor-surveyor]

>> “ I am beginning to wonder about all the drugs, hormones etc.. that can make a woman more fertile isn’t poison.” <<

.
If it doesn’t occur naturally, it is guaranteed to be poison.

Cancer is the direct result of consuming things not natural, and cancer ‘treatment’ is what all cancer patients die of. - http://www.cancertutor.com

[yellowhorse]

I think that it is becoming less and less of an instinct. It is heartbreaking if you look at the number of babies that are aborted every year in this country. I’ve heard (and I believe it to be true) that there have been at least 50 million babies aborted since the Roe v Wade Supreme Court decision. (Wouldn’t you like to be in their shoes on judgement day?)

I’ve told my wife several times that when we get to Heaven, because of Christ’s love of children, it will take us 100,000 years to get to speak with HIM. He’s going to be so occupied with all those little babies that it will take that long. It always brings a smile when I imagine him with all of them Babies. It’s heart breaking though when you think of all mothers that never see or hold their child.

God Bless this woman and her sacrifice. What love and faith she possessed.

[DeoVindiceSicSemperTyrannis]

May God show her the same love she possessed.

Amen

[AuH2ORepublican]

“I wonder if the instinct to perpetuate the human race is stronger than self-preservation?”

---

That’s exactly what Dr. House asserted on the rerun they aired on Sleuth last night. A 39-year-old woman who had an in vitro and was diagnosed with small-cell cancer when her baby was at 28 weeks, and she chose to forgo a C-section and commencing radiation treatment because waiting one more week would increase her baby’s odds of surviving from 80% to almost 90%. I won’t spoil it for those who haven’t watched the episode, but the whole thing was very moving.

[newzjunkey]

So cancer never existed before and those who never got treatment didn’t die? Pure tinfoil quackery.

[newzjunkey]

I'm glad the son lived.

I do think she and her husband should not have pursued in vitro and infertility treatments.

They had almost seven years time wasted wherein they could've adopted a needy child. Now, there's a single father and a toddler son without his mother and no memories of that connection. Hopefully this child is as healthy as they think and the void in his life is filled.