Tough Choices, New Hope
Patient at The Center for Cancer & Blood Disorders,
Weatherford
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Brandi Duran and her son, Isaac
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As if hearing you have cancer is not devastating enough, Brandi Duran heard those words when she was 15 weeks pregnant. While she knew the lump in her neck was something out of the ordinary, her diagnosis with Hodgkin's lymphoma came as a shock to the 26-year-old mother. "I was just in a daze," Brandi says. "All I kept thinking was what was going to happen to my baby." Brandi and her oncologist, Dr. Ray Page, had several tough decisions to make, including the choice of terminating her pregnancy or exposing her baby to the risks of chemotherapy. Together, they chose to treat the cancer with chemotherapy beginning in Brandi's second trimester, after the baby's critical growth occurs and when research shows chemotherapy is safer for an unborn baby. At the time, Brandi was already a mother to 3-year-old Andres, Jr. Now this young mother would be fighting for her life - and the life of her unborn baby. At 21 weeks pregnant, Brandi began chemotherapy treatment. "It was really hard, especially on treatment days, but I had to push through for my kids," Brandi says. Nearly 36 weeks into her pregnancy and after 10 rounds of chemo, Brandi experienced false labor and was placed on bed rest. A little over a week later, on January 9, 2011, Brandi gave birth to a healthy baby boy named Isaac. "I was overjoyed and relieved that he was finally here," Brandi says. Six weeks after Isaac was born, Brandi continued treatment, which included two more rounds of chemo and a month of radiation. Brandi credits her husband and family with helping her manage parenting through cancer, but her faith also played a big role. "I just turned it over to God and prayed," Brandi says. After completing chemotherapy and radiation treatment, Brandi is now in remission. Do you have a story of hope to share? If so, please email us. |