In England, a 34-year-old mother was diagnosed with breast cancer shortly before giving birth to her first child.

Laura Hudson of Manchester was diagnosed with stage 2, grade 3 breast cancer at 36 weeks pregnant in November 2023 after discovering a lump in her right breast, according to a Thursday, Nov. 14 press release from The Christie NHS Foundation Trust in the United Kingdom

The mom-to-be had the results confirmed after seeing a doctor and undergoing a CT scan and biopsy, then was scheduled for an emergency C-section less than a week later, according to the release. She welcomed her daughter Aurora on November 14, 2023.

“When they told me I had cancer, it completely floored me,” Hudson said, according to the release. “…I was in a complete pregnancy bubble, preparing to become a mom for the first time, so I never really thought it could be something this serious. My mind immediately went to Aurora and what was going to happen to her.

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Hudson was informed after first seeing a doctor about the lump that it was “most likely pregnancy-related,” she told the newspaper. BBC. When the lump grew larger, her doctor “sent a request for additional checks,” she recalled to the outlet.

Hudson told the BBC that she and her husband Sam were “so shocked because it’s not something you expect, especially during pregnancy”, and added that her “first thought was for my baby “.

She welcomed her daughter Aurora safely at 37 weeks and was given just three weeks to recover before starting chemotherapy at the Christie NHS Foundation Trust center in her home in Wigan in Wales.

“Being a new mom is hard enough, but having to go through cancer treatment on top of that was almost unbearable,” Laura told The Christie, according to the press release.

“…I couldn’t do everything I wanted with Aurora, which was heartbreaking and sometimes made me feel like an inadequate mother, but being reunited with her after a day in the hospital helped me to get out of it. Whenever I was going through a particularly difficult moment, I would focus on her.

The mother-of-one thanked her husband and parents for their support throughout the ordeal, calling them “my rocks.”

Laura underwent a mastectomy and breast reconstruction in April 2024 and 15 sessions of radiotherapy, concluding her treatment in August. She is no longer cancer-free, according to the release.

“My active treatment is now complete and I couldn’t be happier,” she said, according to the release. “I want to do everything I can to make sure it doesn’t come back,” she said, adding that she is taking medication and “having my other breast removed next year.”

Hudson added: “We don’t know what that means for having more children in the future, but we are so lucky to have had Aurora – other women aren’t as lucky.”

Hudson and her husband recently celebrated their daughter’s first birthday, and the mother-of-one told the BBC that life with her little girl was “amazing – she made the last year worth it “.

“Laura is an inspiring woman,” said Laura’s consultant at The Christie, Dr. Claire Kelly, according to the release. “By sharing her story, she is also raising awareness. A lump is not the only symptom of breast cancer, so it is important for people to check themselves regularly and know what is normal for them.