My name is Heather. I was diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 32, and at 18 weeks pregnant. We went through a mastectomy and 4 rounds of chemo. I stopped chemo to deliver the baby. I then continued chemo and finished, and am currently going through radiation. The baby is healthy and her name is Andarta (a celtic warrior goddess) Maddyn (one whose mother was a brave fighter). We thought the name was fitting as she was fighting cancer with me.
Family <3 
Heather´s two beautiful girls 
Heather´s birthday while pregnant with her 4 y.o. daughter at the time.
Name: Heather S.
Cancer Type: Invasive Ductal Carcinoma Breast Cancer. Hormone Receptive. Stage 1A (under new staging)
Diagnosed: February 20th, 2020
Age of Children When Diagnosed: 4 year old and was pregnant at 18 weeks
Take me back and tell me about the day when you were told “you have cancer”.
The day I was told that I have cancer I was at home with my daughter. I had been put off of work due to a high risk pregnancy. I actually had to call around for my results and the radiologist called and told me that it was a surprising result as we all thought the lump was either a cyst or regular changes with pregnancy. He told me I was showing cancerous cells. After his called I called my husband to tell him and I remember so perfectly, he said “w…..what?” in a tone of disbelief. He told me he was coming home and to hug my daughter. I then called my sisters on mom and told my mom to put me on speaker so my dad could hear. I told them all at once. Of course the questions came, what kind? What treatments? What do you have to do? What about the baby? I told them I didn’t know and when I knew I would let them know. Then I think I cried pretty much the whole night and was just with my family.
How many doctors did you meet with before you decided on your medical team and treatment plan? Did you get the same opinion for your treatment plan or were there conflicting plans? This is often the hardest part, the beginning. What were the key factors in your final selection?
I didn’t really go through a second opinion. I work in a pathology lab and for me a lot of this stuff they were saying I understood because of my job. I was told who my surgeon would be and who my oncologist would be. For plastic surgery I first saw one doctor and didn’t like her answer so I chose the other doctor. I love my team. They’ve been great.
What are the most surprising lessons have you learned from your journey?
I have learned a lot about myself. I learned how strong I was and how positive my outlook on life was (even with those bad days of feeling down). I learned that my husband is amazing because a lot of women had their men divorce or leave them. My husband has been with me (as much as possible with COVID) and been a part in my decision making. I learned to just breath and enjoy the small things.
I’m sure readers would want to understand how other moms are approaching telling their children, as it’s different for every family and various ages. How did you approach this delicate conversation and is there any advice for other moms you can share?
After I got the phone call telling me I had cancer a lot started to happen and I eventually sat down and talked to my 4 year old. I told her mommy has a bump on her boobie called cancer. Mommy has to go to the doctor to help her beat the cancer. I told her how I was first going to have surgery to remove the bump. After the surgery mommy is only going to have one boobie. Until she can have surgery on the other one. Then I told her that mommy was going to get medicine that will help beat cancer but it might make mommy lose her hair and not feel good.
She had questions and I answered them the best I could. I let her feel my lump. I’ve shown her my scars. She’s been real good and I know she doesn’t fully understand but she wasn’t scared because I lost my hair or wasn’t feeling good. My breast surgeon also gave us a book called Mommy Found a Bump (or maybe it is Lump, I recently misplaced the book). I think that helped to.
My advice – Don´t use the word ¨sick¨. Use the word ¨cancer¨
Be open and honest.
Answer questions.
Let them tell you how they feel.
Who are your biggest influences? Who do you admire the most?
I would probably say my husband. He has been my rock. He let(s) me cry, lets me vent, and is just there.
What do you want your legacy to be?
I want people to know that I was pregnant, battling breast cancer, during a pandemic and I still earned my MBA in Healthcare Management, while raising a 4 year old (5 now).
What do the words, “Beautiful Struggle”, mean to you?
Beautiful Struggle. This whole journey has been a beautiful struggle. You struggle with the diagnosis, treatment, work, family, a pandemic, and just everyday stuff. But in a way it is beautiful because you become stronger, you become an inspiration. So I guess I would say that beautiful struggle means taking all the hard stuff and still conquering each and every obstacle that is thrown your way.