My common breastfeeding problem was actually stage 4 cancer – a week before giving birth I was given six months to live

A Georgia mother shared her amazing cancer journey – which saw her diagnosed with terminal cancer just days before giving birth and miraculously declared cancer-free six months later.

Despite initially being given six months to live, 31-year-old Lindsey Parr Gritton developed the rash after just three months of chemotherapy and immunotherapy infusions.

Now, two years later, the scans still show no signs of disease.

“My doctor is still completely shocked that I’m still in remission,” she said. “It’s just a miracle.”

Mrs Gritton was just 29 years old and 36 weeks pregnant with her second child when she went to her obstetrician for a routine check-up.

Mrs Gritton had been suffering from burning pain in her breast for several months, along with a small lump and swollen lymph nodes near her armpit.

However, doctors thought it was just mastitis, an inflammation of the breast tissue that could be caused by a blocked milk duct or bacteria.

Mrs Gritton insisted on an ultrasound scan of the lump, which came back as ‘highly suspicious of cancer’. Further tests revealed stage four breast cancer, which had spread to her liver.

Within a week, Ms Gritton, now 31, was prompted to hasten the birth of her baby – and days after the birth she started chemotherapy.

“The results were terrifying and heartbreaking,” Ms. Gritton said in one recent conversation. ‘Suddenly I was labeled a stage four cancer patient and given a prognosis of six short months to live.’

“How was I going to raise a newborn and a toddler while going through six months of chemo? And how was I going to explain to my two-year-old that mommy had to go to heaven soon?’

Ms. Gritton is just one of many young Americans diagnosed with cancer, with the rate under age 50 increasing by 30 percent in just two decades.

Breast cancer is the most common form of cancer in both the US and the world.

The National Cancer Institute (NCI) estimates there will be more than 300,000 new cases this year, along with 43,700 deaths.

Mortality rates fell by 43 percent between 1989 and 2020, following successful public health awareness campaigns, better screening and new medications.

And nine out of ten patients are expected to survive after five years. However, once the cancer metastasizes or spreads, the survival rate drops to 31 percent, according to the American Cancer Society (ACS).

Mrs Gritton was given an infusion every three weeks with a combination of three different chemotherapy and immunotherapy drugs.

During this time, she “enjoyed every moment even more because I thought I had little time,” she told People.

”I took in every second and tried to absorb everything. I made a scrapbook, I wrote letters to my kids, I made videos, everything. I tried to do everything I could.”

About three months after starting treatment, scans showed Mrs Gritton’s tumors were shrinking. After six months, “everything was gone” and she had no signs of illness.

“We were so happy when we found out there was no cancer in my body,” she said. “To be honest, we couldn’t believe it, no one could believe it. It was really crazy and surreal.”

Mrs Gritton then underwent a lumpectomy, which is intended to remove cancer and surrounding tissue. Unlike a mastectomy, patients do not lose the entire breast.

Ms Gritton now has no cancer cells left and undergoes immunotherapy every six months to prevent the disease from returning. The mother of two also just celebrated her 31st birthday this month, which she never thought she would experience.

“It’s really surreal because I just didn’t think I would be here,” she said. ‘Every moment is just incredible.’

Ms Gritton also works to raise awareness of breast cancer, especially as cancer rates increase among young people.

Although the average age of diagnosis in the US is 62, recent research shows that the rates have been slowly increasing among women aged 20 to 49.

Experts are still working to unravel the cause, although the increase is largely due to Western diets and sedentary lifestyles.

Moreover, researchers from Washington University in St. Louis have discovered that generations with higher cancer rates have cells and tissues in their bodies that age more quickly.

In other words, people born after 1965 – age 59 or younger – may be biologically older than their chronological age.

‘Everyone thinks that breast cancer occurs after the age of 40. You don’t really think about it happening in your 20s,” Ms Gritton said.

In her recent speech, she said, “I don’t even take five minutes for granted.”