A young mother of three was hit hard when she was diagnosed with a life-threatening form of cancer just weeks before she was due to give birth.
Canberra woman Nivek Johnson, affectionately known as Niv, was 34 weeks pregnant when she was diagnosed with triple-negative breast cancer.
The 37-year-old nurse felt a hard lump in one of her breasts and initially thought it was mastitis, a painful infection of the breast tissue.
“For a week or two I tried some home remedies to clear the blocked mammary glands,” she told Daily Mail Australia.
‘It didn’t go away, so I went to my GP and was prescribed antibiotics, but they didn’t help.’
An ultrasound, mammogram and biopsy the following week showed that the lump was something much more dangerous.
Mrs. Johnson couldn’t believe it when the doctor told her she had a fast-growing and aggressive tumor.
“It was definitely an emotional rollercoaster,” she said.
Nivek Johnson was 34 weeks pregnant when she was diagnosed with triple-negative breast cancer
“It was shocking and I’m still trying to understand it.”
A week later, she met with a team of oncologists who developed a treatment plan for her.
“They decided it was best to start treatment while my baby was still in the womb,” Johnson said.
‘I had three chemotherapy infusions while my baby was still in my belly and then I took a short break so I could deliver him by C-section.’
Ms. Johnson’s closest friends have set up a GoFundMe to help ease the financial burden and provide for her family as she battles cancer.
“She is as tough and stoic as can be,” they wrote.
‘Less than 10 days after baby Felix was safely born, Niv resumed her fourth round of chemotherapy, which will be followed by a gruelling regimen of surgery and radiation.
“It’s no secret that adding a newborn to the family dynamic isn’t easy. But when the birth of your child is overshadowed by cancer, it’s a nightmare.”
Mrs. Johnson’s oncologists decided to begin chemotherapy while her baby was still in the womb
Generous Australians have already donated more than $25,000, which will go towards a meal delivery service, hiring a nanny for the children and covering any treatment costs.
Mrs. Johnson expressed her family’s deep gratitude for all the support they have received during this difficult time.
“We are so grateful,” she said.
“It’s really weird to ask for help, so setting up this GoFundMe is probably not something I would ever do myself.
“We are so blessed and fortunate to have such an amazing support network around us.”
Mrs Johnson said juggling the newborn period, sleepless nights and adjusting to more intensive chemotherapy was a challenge.
She said it’s hard because she can’t be so active around the house.
“I used to be the main caregiver, but now I sometimes have to rest or can’t take the kids to school,” Ms. Johnson said.
Ms Johnson hopes that sharing her story will help raise awareness and encourage people to be vigilant and get checked.
‘I can’t keep the houses as clean as I used to, I can’t cook as well as I used to and all that kind of stuff.’
She explained that her husband has been a tremendous help and a wonderful caregiver, but he has to go back to work at the end of August.
“Right now I’m taking it day by day, I haven’t really looked too far into the future,” she said.
‘One of my goals was to go back to work after my maternity leave, but that has been put on hold for a bit now.’