At 14 weeks into her pregnancy, a woman from Florida faced a heartbreaking choice.
Alicia Harris, 37, from Tampa, had recently been diagnosed with an aggressive early form of breast cancer. Her doctors advised that terminating her pregnancy would allow her to start treatment immediately.
However, Harris wasn’t ready to let go of her baby. Instead, she opted for a different route—undergoing surgery and chemotherapy while carrying her child.
“The first doctor I consulted mentioned it was grade three cancer and recommended I terminate the pregnancy,” Harris recounted. “I decided I wanted more opinions to find out what was truly right for me and my family.”
As a mother of two boys already, she sought out a new doctor who had treated a pregnant woman not long before. After carefully considering her options, her doctor decided to adopt the same treatment protocol used for the earlier patient.
“Knowing that the other woman had gone through this and her baby was fine, we made the choice that suited us best,” Harris shared.
Going through cancer treatment while in her third trimester turned out to be much tougher than Harris had envisioned. Along with the challenges of pregnancy, the chemotherapy left her feeling really unwell, battling persistent nausea and vomiting that made it hard to eat.
She also faced nosebleeds, headaches, and various health issues that required close monitoring and frequent visits to doctors. Things got even more complicated when she contracted COVID-19 during her treatment, forcing her to briefly stop chemotherapy until she recovered.
“It was incredibly tough on both me and my family, but we managed,” Harris said. “I was fortunate to have family members rallying around to help out as much as they could.”
During this difficult time, Harris often felt isolated. Finding others who understood the experience of being pregnant while undergoing chemotherapy proved to be a challenge.
“Even the doctors I spoke with… some didn’t really know what to advise. A few said, ‘Oh, pregnant with cancer? Let me think about that.’ Many just didn’t know how to navigate that situation,” she recalled.
In her search for support, she came across an online community of pregnant cancer patients, where women exchanged experiences regarding chemotherapy and other treatments while expecting. This group turned out to be a crucial source of emotional support. Interacting with others who shared similar fears and challenges made her feel less alone.
Although she relied on her medical team for treatment decisions, the friendships and shared experiences from this community offered her reassurance during such a tough time.
Years have passed, and now Harris works as an oncology nurse at the hospital where she once received her own treatment, helping patients navigate the path she once walked.
This journey inspired her advocacy efforts as well. Motivated by her daughter, Journi, who is now four, Harris established “Journi for Two,” a nonprofit aimed at supporting pregnant women diagnosed with cancer.
Additionally, she is active in the “About Damn Time” campaign, focused on an often-overlooked aspect of the cancer journey: survivorship.
Harris feels that much of the focus is on the active treatment phase, while the lasting realities of recovery, including ongoing medications, surgeries, emotional healing, and reintegrating into life, often lack adequate support.
“You ring the bell, and everyone thinks you’re back to normal, but there’s actually so much more to it,” she said. “Survivorship is a lifelong journey. Suddenly, you’re left with all these feelings, and it’s like everyone just kind of disappears. Thankfully, I had my daughter with me.”
