This Pregnant Woman's Stomach Pains Turned Out to Be Widespread Cancer
Skin cancer is the most common form of cancer in the United States, and approximately 34,940 women will be diagnosed with melanoma in 2017. One-third of women who are diagnosed with melanoma are of child-bearing age, and this woman's story is a tragic reminder that everyone - especially expectant mothers - should regularly check in with a dermatologist.
In February, Danielle Janofsky, who was 6 months pregnant at the time, went to the hospital with stomach pains, according to a GoFundMe page set up by her family. "It was quickly discovered that melanoma had spread to her liver, kidney, stomach, and, finally, brain," according to the fundraising page.
Danielle waited two weeks before delivering her baby prematurely by C-section. "She made the selfless and loving decision to deliver baby Jake on Friday February 24th thereby sacrificing herself so that her son could live," says the GoFundMe write-up. She died three days after giving birth.
This wasn't Danielle's first bout with skin cancer: She had been diagnosed with melanoma back in 2015, but the problematic mole had been removed. After that, she had a "good prognosis," her husband, Max, informed Today. Once she became pregnant, though, she was discouraged from continuing immunotherapy, which uses the body's immune system to combat the cancer. Without immunotherapy, the cancer returned.
Danielle's mother shared a heartbreaking photo on Facebook of her daughter and Max on the day after she passed.
"My dearest Danielle was an amazing person," her mother wrote in the post. "Smart. Witty. Loving. She died yesterday, held in her loving husbands arms when she slipped away. I will miss her calling me up saying, 'Hi Mommy' in a voice that always reminded me of that long ago little girl. If love could have saved her, she would have lived a hundred years. I will miss you forever my Dani."
The Janofsky family set up the GoFundMe page to create trust funds for Danielle's children, to help provide for their education, and to give the premature Jake proper medical care. Over $80,000 of the $100,000 goal has been raised since it was launched.
It's not entirely clear if melanoma and pregnancy are linked, according to Dr. Aleksandar Sekulic, M.D., a dermatologist at Mayo Clinic and a principal member of Stand Up to Cancer's research team. "There have been a lot of opinions and suggestions that melanoma may be impacted by [a woman's] hormonal status - which dramatically changes during pregnancy - but studies [haven't found] a very clear indication of that. That means women who have been diagnosed with melanoma during their pregnancy do not necessarily fare worse than women diagnosed with melanoma who aren't pregnant."
Unfortunately, that doesn't mean that in some patients pregnancy doesn't worsen the progression of melanoma. "It is possible," Dr. Sekulic says, but he reiterates the fact that there haven't been enough structured studies to make a firm correlation between the two.
The only thing that is certain, he says, is that "melanoma is a preventable disease." Protecting yourself - with sunscreen and regular check-ups - no matter what age you are is crucial.
(h/t Today)
Follow Redbook on Facebook.
You Might Also Like
