Pregnant Woman Given Months To Live After Cancer Diagnosis, Dies Just Days After
Pregnant Woman Dies Just Days After Heartbreaking Cancer Diagnosis
Natasha Hinde— The Huffington Post UK
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Mercury Press
A pregnant woman has died just days after discovering she had cancer, but her family believe her life could've been prolonged if doctors had diagnosed her sooner.
Kelly Dodgson, 33, was diagnosed with breast cancer after she developed a prolonged cough four months into her pregnancy.
The care worker tragically passed away at 33 weeks pregnant, shortly after starting chemotherapy.
Her family have since spoken out about the importance of an early diagnosis.
The 33-year-old, who leaves behind two children, developed a cough last summer which wouldn't go away. After a month, Dodgson visited her GP who prescribed her antibiotics.
After another spell in hospital, where doctors believed she might have pneumonia, Dodgson was given intravenous antibiotics and discharged a few days later.
"We just wanted her to get better before the baby was born," said her mum, Susan Lees.
But things took a turn for the worse when Dodgson noticed a lump in her right breast.
The pregnant mum was told that it was probably a swollen milk duct. However in September, when her cough still hadn't gone and her sight became increasingly blurry, she was admitted to hospital where they did a biopsy on her breast.
It revealed the worst, she had breast cancer.
Soon after her diagnosis, the mum-of-two was told that the cancer had spread to her lungs. But doctors believed that she still had 12-18 months left to live.
Devastated by the news, Dodgson decided that she would terminate her pregnancy, as the baby's chances of survival were so low.
She also wanted to spend as much time with her two daughters, Niamh, seven, and Lillie Mae, five, as possible.
But just days after her first chemotherapy session, Dodgson passed away.
Her mum, Sue, revealed that if they'd known her health was going to deteriorate so rapidly, they would've made sure her daughters went to visit her every night.
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Kelly Dodgson as a baby, being held by her mum Sue.
Shortly after Dodgson's death, doctors revealed that the breast cancer had been secondary to Ewing's Sarcoma.
Symptoms of this very rare type of cancer include pain in the affected area (that gets progressively worse) as well as swelling and tenderness. Other possible, but less common, symptoms may include a high temperature, severe tiredness and weight loss.
Dodgson's mother said that the family was left "stunned" when her daughter's health deteriorated so rapidly.
"Her cancer was so rare that nobody suspected it," she said. "Even a few months would have been better than the few short days that we got."
Breast Cancer Signs And Treatment
What Are The Symptoms?(01 of10)
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"A new painless, firm breast lump with irregular margins is a potential symptom of breast cancer," says Dr. Sandhya Pruthi, a breast cancer researcher at the Mayo Clinic. "The cancer diagnosis is confirmed following a biopsy of the lump." She notes that usually, women who are newly diagnosed with breast cancer are healthy and don't feel sick at all. (credit:LarsZahnerPhotography via Getty Images)
Other Symptoms(02 of10)
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Another potential symptom/sign of breast cancer, Pruthi notes, is a new onset of persistent redness on the skin overtop the breast with an orange peel appearance. This would also need a biopsy to confirm a diagnosis of breast cancer. (credit:Image Source via Getty Images)
Metastatic Cancer Symptoms(03 of10)
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"If the cancer is very advanced (metastatic) then the symptoms may also include weight loss, bone pain, headaches, nausea and persistent cough," Pruthi says. (credit:pamela burley via Getty Images)
What Are The Risk Factors?(04 of10)
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Some commonly associated risk factors, Pruthi says, are menstruation before age 11, menstruation after age 54, a first pregnancy after age 35 and a family history of relatives diagnosed with breast or ovarian cancer. (credit:AP Photo/M. Spencer Green)
Are There Any Lifestyle Risk Factors?(05 of10)
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"There is evidence in the literature that obesity after menopause, lack of regular exercise, consuming greater than more or more alcoholic beverages daily, and a high fat diet can all be associated with a higher breast cancer risk," Pruthi notes. But, she points out, "women need to know that any woman can get breast cancer even in the absence of any of these risk factors." (credit:Adrian Samson via Getty Images)
Can I Eat Anything To Prevent It?(06 of10)
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There are no specific types of diets, Pruthi says, but rather women are encouraged to eat fruits, vegetables, fibre, and minimize their alcohol and fat intake, as well as get regular exercise. (credit:lola1960 via Getty Images)
How Do Doctors Determine Treatment?(07 of10)
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"The most current treatment of breast cancer has taken on a individualized approach and is dependent on the biology or aggressive features of the breast cancer," Pruthi explains. "Breast cancer is a heterogeneous disease and this means that are many sub-types and different degrees of aggressiveness. So staging, which typically takes into account common prognostic features such as tumour size and if lymph nodes are involved, are no longer the only factors doctors use to determine treatment options." (credit:Christopher Futcher via Getty Images)
So What Do They Look At?(08 of10)
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"Today the biology of the tumour is also characterized by molecular markers (also known as predictive markers) such as if the estrogen or progesterone receptor is positive or negative and if the HER 2 protein is positive or negative," she says. "This helps decide who will benefit from a specific chemotherapy regimen, hormonal medications known as antiestrogens or who may need both chemotherapy and hormonal treatment." (credit:BluePlanetEarth via Getty Images)
What About Preventative Mastectomies?(09 of10)
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"Preventive mastectomy is an option for women at very high risk for developing breast cancer because they are BRCA 1 or 2 gene positive or if someone has hereditary predisposition to getting breast cancer but chooses not to have the genetic testing done," Pruthi says. "It is prudent that women who are considering this surgery know their family history in detail. Based on the moderate or strong family history, your doctor would recommend you meet with a genetic counselor to go over the family pedigree and help decide who should test for the breast cancer gene, when to test and how to interpret the genetic test results before proceeding with this preventive surgery." (credit:Jesús Jaime Mota via Getty Images)
Are Other Preventative Treatments Available?(10 of10)
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"High risk women who have had precancerous breast biopsies or strong family history may also be eligible to take preventive medications such as tamoxifen, raloxifene or exemestane to reduce breast cancer risk," Pruthi adds. (credit:art-4-art via Getty Images)