Thursday, August 27, 2009

Pregnant, with cancer: An agonizing decision

When Sarah Joanis found out she was pregnant, she was so thrilled -- and surprised -- that she took 12 home pregnancy tests in a row and photographed the positive results. Just to make sure.

Three months later, however, Sarah and her husband, Kevin, received another shock: The Plainfield woman's ovarian cancer had returned. She was 29 years old.

One of every 1,000 pregnant women in the U.S. has cancer, a relatively rare but stark convergence of life and death. For these women, treatment is possible. But it comes with a host of terrifying decisions for the family.

Do you start chemotherapy, which could harm the fetus? Or do you delay treatment, risking the mother's life?

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