Amy said, “When I was diagnosed I had originally thought I had a bladder infection, so I started going to my family doctor, who referred me to a GYN, and within a week and a half I was to the family doctor, had an ultrasound, CAT scan, and a CA-125 tumor marker that was drawn and ended up going to a GYN oncologist, Dr. Willis, who gave me a 30 percent chance it was ovarian cancer.”
As a newlywed trying to start a family, Amy spoke with her doctor about her options. “Most ovarian cancer patients have a hysterectomy. I was very fortunate in the fact that I did get to Dr. Willis as early as I did, and was able, he was able to salvage my left ovary.”
They discussed harvesting eggs, but unfortunately Amy’s situation was time-sensitive and she needed to get into surgery so harvesting eggs was not an option. Amy said, “I was very adamant that I didn’t want to have a hysterectomy, but the day of pre-op I remember going into Dr. Willis saying, ‘If it is cancer, I want you to remove everything,’ because it was more important for me to be there for my husband and my family.”
She doesn’t deny that it put a hard stress on her marriage. She said, “It was just taking one day at a time and getting through what we needed to get through so we could get to the next part of our lives together.”
Now Amy and her husband have four-and-a-half-year-old daughter, Alyssa, and another one on the way. Scroll down to watch Amy's story.
“Once we conceived with Alyssa, as far as the chemotherapy, there weren’t any concerns. We knew it was possible. There was a chance. It was important to wait that year after the chemotherapy just so the body is normalized again, but after it happened, it was fine. We weren’t at high risk as far as the chemo drugs are concerned, and she’s very healthy and didn’t have any complications.”
“They are our miracle babies and they will always have a special place in our hearts,” Amy said.
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