February 2, 2015 (LifeSiteNews) – Heather Choate was already a mother of five young children, and had just found out that she was expecting her sixth, when she received the devastating news that she had breast cancer.
That was last summer.
Doctors were insistent about what Heather should do: abort the baby to increase her chances of survival, and then undergo treatment for her cancer.
But Heather would have none of it. “I would rather die than take the life of my child,” she recently told CBS News.
Instead, Heather found a specialist who came up with a treatment plan, including chemotherapy and surgery, that she underwent while pregnant.
While there can be risks associated with undergoing chemotherapy while pregnant, there have been an increasing number of cases of women rejecting abortion while simultaneously choosing to also undergo treatment, and then giving birth to perfectly healthy babies.
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Such was the case with Heather. On January 6, she and her husband welcomed their daughter, Kiery Celeste, into the world – as healthy as could be.
But that was only the beginning of the good news for the brave mother. Just last week Heather learned that her treatment had been successful: scans show that she is officially cancer free.
“I just got tears really in my eyes because that means we’ve done it — we have a baby here and things are looking good,” Heather said.
It hasn’t been an easy road for Heather. She recently wrote on her blog about the events of the past month.
“I feel like after these two weeks, we can take on anything. Childbirth with the flu? Done. 48 hours without my newborn? Done. Surgery 1 week after childbirth? Done,” she wrote.
“But I know I couldn’t have done any of it without my amazing husband, my angel of a mom, and the Lord who strengthens me and helps me beyond my own capabilities. My faith is strengthened as I witness his hand in our lives and I know we will be able to meet all challenges as long as we turn to him.”
In another blog post, recounting the birth of her daughter, Heather wrote: “She is worth every sacrifice. She is my child. The Lord gave her to me and blessed me to be her mother. That is a joy and a responsibility I will forever cherish and strive to fulfill to the upmost degree. Motherhood is sacred. I am grateful and humbled to be so blessed to have precious Kiery as my daughter. She is strong and sweet and good. I am excited to see what things the Lord and life have in store for our future.”
She added: “She is whole. She is healthy. It goes without saying that she is living proof that a baby can be born normal and healthy despite their mother being treated for cancer.”
Heather’s journey isn’t over yet, however, as she still has more treatments to undergo: but with a beautiful daughter, and a hopeful prognosis, things are certainly looking up.
