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Jan’s  Second Chance Story

Imagine finding out you have Leukaemia when you are still under 30, not only with a three-year-old but while pregnant. The fear, the worry, the what iffs’ yet Jan shares a story that is positive, uplifting and offers hope and inspiration to realize that Cancer is the beginning and not the end.

 


Her Second Chance Story
Jan found out she had Leukaemia while she was pregnant and was more concerned about her son than her own health. She went to the doctors' office for a test for Rubella and the doctor called her the next day and told her they needed to see her right away.

She went to the doctor worried that he would tell her she had a miscarriage because she had one eight months prior. He came in looking like he had lost his best friend, and with tears in his eyes told her they thought she had Leukaemia.

Jan didn't know what it was and had thought that they were telling her that her baby had Leukaemia. As she began to realize what it meant, she asked him if he was telling her she was going to die and his answer was, "not necessarily"!

This was not very comforting to her. He checked out the baby and told her it was healthy. At this time, there were no cell phones so she went to find a payphone and called her husband. She told him that she had good news and bad news, the good being the baby was fine and the bad,  she may have Leukaemia.

Can you imagine how long that weekend must have been, waiting to see the specialist?

She took the weekend off and went home. Although she tried to act as normal as possible, her thoughts went to what iff's and she decided she was going to make it through.

She went to the doctor and then the specialist a couple of days later. He confirmed that she had Leukaemia and very coldly, went over her options. He felt the odds were against her and recommended she have an abortion and gave her two weeks to make a decision.

Jan was a strong and courageous young woman and stuck with her belief that she would give birth to a healthy baby. Although the doctor didn't give her any hope or encouragement she found a way to find it herself. He did a bone marrow aspiration without pain medicine due to the pregnancy. He had told her there was no possibility of having a bone marrow transplant and would need extensive chemotherapy.

She came back two weeks later and he looked at her chart with a grim look on his face and told her she had the terrible, horrible type of Leukaemia. She was 1,000 away from having Acute Leukaemia. He asked her again if she decided about having the baby and she told him she was keeping the baby.

The specialist had a connection to a doctor at Vancouver General Hospital that was a woman and also pregnant that may be able to help her. God is good!

She went home that day and although she was not a religious person, she went on her hands and knees and prayed to God. She tells us she didn't believe before this but believes that  "There are no Atheists in a foxhole".  She prayed to God on her knees and said that if there is a God please help her and she promised to help other people with Cancer.

God listened to her and n the way to the doctor she saw a semi truck with a message on the sign that said Cancer can be beaten and she thought, oh my God, that is my sign.

 

The Turn Around Point
The doctor at Vancouver General Hospital worked with her and she also saw an Oncologist. Her white blood cell count went down every three weeks. Without any treatment, she kept getting better and the Oncologist couldn't believe it. Jan ended up with diabetes during her pregnancy and her doctor was so worried, Jan kept the mentality she was going to make it and make it she did! Her son was born 7 lbs 8 oz, --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/lvmountaintops/message