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Gabrielle’s Pregnancy Saved Her Life

“Cancer was the last thing on my mind”

Cancer was the last thing on my mind when I started noticing blood in my urine and having abdominal pain. I underwent extensive fertility treatments in 2021 to have my baby and was 16 weeks pregnant when I first saw the bleeding. I was so afraid that it was a miscarriage, so I went to the ER. The doctors confirmed that all was well with my pregnancy. I was diagnosed with a UTI and given antibiotics. I kept having this strange intermittent bleeding throughout my pregnancy, and we were assuming it was a UTI since they are common during pregnancy. In March 2022, I delivered a healthy baby girl, Autumn, and the bleeding stopped. I continued working on my coursework for my doctoral program and enjoying my baby girl until one day, the bleeding returned.

Gabby and her daughter, Autumn

A “mushroom” in my bladder

Having the bleeding come back was a shock to me because we assumed that it was related to my pregnancy. I spoke with my OB/GYN and requested a CT scan to better determine the cause. To my surprise, there was a “mushroom” in my bladder. It seems when Autumn was in my abdomen and pressing up against my bladder and the tumor, it caused the bleeding to start sooner than it normally would. I was in shock but relieved to finally find out the cause of the mystery bleeding. A week later, I saw a urologist and had the tumor completely removed via a TURBT (trans urethral resection of bladder tumor) without any complications. I was given one dose of Mitomycin and have not had any issues since. I am now under appropriate care and management, which has helped ease my nerves.

I no longer take things for granted

Although the stress of having this diagnosis at such a young age was frightening and I was I worried about the cancer returning. I was, however, able to get back into the swing of things with taking care of my newborn and continuing work on my PhD. Although cancer is not a diagnosis anyone wants to hear, it has helped me appreciate all of the blessings and support that I have in my life and certainly made me more thankful. I feel stronger saying that this is something I overcame once and could again if I had to. As of now, I am no longer taking things in my life for granted and enjoy each day to the fullest while still working on achieving my goals.

It is important for me to tell my story and be a voice for women who are in my age group to know that this can affect any of us but at the same time, it does not mean it is the end. When I was searching for a bladder cancer advocacy organization, I ran across BCAN and reached out because I wanted to be able to advocate for others, especially for younger people who experience common bladder cancer symptoms to go out and get checked. I also wanted to share my story and let people know that not everything you experience from a bladder cancer diagnosis is a horror story.

My beautiful baby girl saved my life

The very good news is that I am getting my PhD in health psychology and in a field where I could be a voice for younger people to advocate for their health.  That helped me recover emotionally and move past my bladder cancer diagnosis.

Sometimes, good things can come from bad.  I have received tremendous support from my family and appreciate them all the more.  I also have a beautiful baby girl: my daughter saved my life, and she is truly my miracle baby.  

2024 Update?

Where Are They Now?

Bladder cancer patients are at various stages of their journey. Some are newly diagnosed, exploring treatment options, while others have completed surgeries or therapies like BCG and are now focused on recovery. Many are adjusting to life post-treatment, keeping up with regular check-ups, and monitoring for recurrence. Whether in remission or continuing care, they remain dedicated to their health, leaning on support systems, and staying hopeful for what lies ahead. 
 
Let’s hear from Gabrielle to share an update on where she is in her bladder cancer journey:
 
My experiences with bladder cancer have since become part of my new “normal” I guess you can say! Since my diagnosis, I have undergone several TURBTs and rounds of chemo and BCG. I have been fortunate that my cancer has remained non-invasive, but it has been a whirlwind of an experience. Through all of this (since I was first diagnosed), I have continued to move forward the best way I know how and am continuing to work on my PhD in which I am now focused on cancer prevention and control and health equity, most importantly, I continue to be a mom to my beautiful little girl who is 2 1/2 now and thriving, and I continue to support cancer events and advocacy as much as I can. I have started a student group at my university that is centered around cancer advocacy, outreach, and support.
 
I also assist with local non-profit events, such as sharing my story and modeling an event centered around supporting women cancer patients and survivors!  In fact, to put into perspective how much I have refused to let this cancer stop me from living, while I was going through treatments, I continued to write and submit a training grant to NIH. While my grant was rejected (going to resubmit it in December), the process of still being able to do that while going through treatments brought me great pride. Recently, over the summer, I had a severe complication from my treatments and ended up in the hospital, but found it important to still keep my spirits high. My little girl has been my greatest motivation to keep moving forward and to continue to be a fighter, along with the support of family and friends, and connecting with others in the cancer community. As of June of this year, I have been recurrence-free 🙂  I also continue to do all my normal activities and always enjoy going on new adventures!

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