A mother who delayed chemotherapy cancer treatment and went into induced labor to protect her daughter has shared her heartbreak as her infant daughter is now fighting for life.
Andrea Cole, 28, of Killawog, New York, gave birth to her daughter Ariana Williams six weeks early after she was diagnosed with invasive ductal carcinoma in her right breast.
She feared treatment would harm Ariana in the womb and couldn’t get scans required to determine if the cancer had spread, because they could also have harmed her unborn baby.
Newborn: Andrea Cole, 28, of Killawog, New York, gave birth to her daughter Ariana Williams six weeks early after she was diagnosed with breast cancer
Struggle: The mother (pictured during her pregnancy) delayed chemotherapy because she feared the treatment would harm her daughter in the womb
Birth: Doctors, fearing for the baby’s health, induced labor on March 9 and Andrea delivered tiny Ariana, who weighed in at just two pounds and 15 ounces
But doctors, fearing for the baby’s health, induced labor on March 9 and Andrea delivered tiny Ariana, who weighed in at just two pounds and 15 ounces.
‘I noticed a lump like on orange peel on my right breast and they found two large masses when they scanned me,’ Andrea recounted.
‘They diagnosed me with ductal carcinoma after a biopsy. When I was diagnosed I was devastated.
‘This was supposed to be the happiest time of my life and now I didn’t even know if I was going to be here for my daughter.
‘But I knew I couldn’t stress because that would place stress on her. I denied chemo because I couldn’t take that risk.
‘For four more weeks we waited, allowing the baby to grow as much as possible but my doctors said at 32 weeks, they couldn’t wait any longer.
‘They couldn’t tell if my cancer had spread until I had my baby and could do the scans.’
Ordeal: Andrea started chemotherapy after her daughter was born. In April, the parents were devastated when their daughter stopped breathing. She now depends on a ventilator
Terrifying: Ariana stopped breathing in her pediatrician’s office and her heart stopped beating as she arrived by ambulance to Golisano Children’s Hospital
Andrea and her partner Erik Williams, 30, a construction worker, were relieved when scans revealed that her cancer was contained to her breast and had not spread.
The mom, who works at 7-Eleven, began chemotherapy ten days after giving birth and the couple took thriving Ariana home from the NICU just 20 days later.
‘I was luckily able to deliver naturally and I was able to hold her for just a minute. She was so tiny,’ Andrea said.
‘You think you love them as much as you can when they’re inside you but when you see them and hold them it’s a whole new love. I started chemo ten days after I had her.
‘Luckily, my scans revealed my cancer had not spread to my lymph nodes. My doctors were very happy.
‘She did so well in the NICU, we were able to take her home after 20 days.’
But in April, Ariana stopped breathing in her pediatrician’s office and her heart stopped beating as she arrived by ambulance to Golisano Children’s Hospital.
Injury: The baby girl was deprived of oxygen for too long, and recent scans show that she suffered a severe anoxic brain injury, which occurs in cases of severe oxygen deficiency
Family: Andrea, who is still undergoing weekly chemotherapy, is trying to stay positive as her daughter remains on life support
Doctors continued to revive Ariana as she coded six times and eventually managed to stabilize her.
But tragically, Ariana was deprived of oxygen for too long, and recent scans show that she suffered a severe anoxic brain injury, which occurs in cases of severe oxygen deficiency.
‘On April 12 I noticed she was whining and she wasn’t really a whining baby at all so I knew something was up,’ Andrea said.
‘She rejected her second bottle so I knew something was wrong. We brought her to the pediatrician’s office and they put us into a room to wait.
‘It was then she stopped breathing and she turned purple. They managed to revive her but the second we got to the hospital she just coded.
‘They managed to get her heart going again and she was rushed to the PICU. Then she began to code on and off for six hours.
‘I found it so difficult, I couldn’t be in the room. But a doctor came out and told me that she wasn’t going to make it.
‘I knew I would never forgive myself if I wasn’t in there. I sat down next to her and I just told her how much I needed her here. I told her that she couldn’t leave me.
‘They placed an external pacemaker on her chest to shock her every time her heart stopped.
‘But she suffered a severe anoxic brain injury and is now vent-dependent.
‘After a few days they did an EEG on her and it was very quiet. There was no brain activity.’
Family: The mom, who works at 7-Eleven, began chemotherapy ten days after giving birth and the couple took thriving Ariana home from the NICU just 20 days later
Bonding: ‘I was luckily able to deliver naturally and I was able to hold her for just a minute. She was so tiny,’ Andrea said of her daughter’s birth
Treatment: The mother refused to leave her daughter’s bedside for her cancer treatments, but her doctors have organized for her to continue her chemotherapy in the same hospital
Andrea, who is still undergoing weekly chemotherapy, is trying to stay positive as her daughter remains on life support.
The mother refused to leave her daughter’s bedside for her cancer treatments, but her doctors have organized for her to continue her chemotherapy in the same hospital.
A recent scan detected more activity in Ariana’s brain and Andrea has hope that her daughter will recover.
‘When she was first in the hospital, I was declining my treatments. I couldn’t leave her alone,’ she said.
‘I couldn’t have forgiven myself if something went wrong while I was away. But my mom and my boyfriend were really worried about me.
‘I was fortunate enough that the hospital arranged for me to get my chemo on the same campus as Ariana so I have started again.
Hopeful: The mom said she hopes Ariana will remain stable enough until a time comes when she and Erik can take her back to their house
Mother: ‘Some days I’m more positive than others. Some days I’m so angry. But I remember she’s still here and that’s so much better than not having her here,’ Andrea said of Ariana
‘After a few months she began to move her fingers, and her pupils were no longer fixed and dilated.
‘The doctors warned me not to get too excited because it could just be nothing.
‘The right side of her brain was still very quiet, but the left side was experiencing some sporadic brain activity. I can’t give up on her.
‘I’ve done my own research and with brain injuries, it can take up to a year to see the extent of the damage. The younger the person is the better.’
Andrea’s doctors have advised her to undergo a double mastectomy when she finishes chemotherapy to help lower her risk of cancer in the future.
The mom said she hopes Ariana will remain stable enough until a time comes when she and Erik can take her back to their house.
‘Ariana is stable right now so we’re hoping when she reaches 10 pounds we might be in a position to talk about bringing her home,’ she added.
‘Some days I’m more positive than others. Some days I’m so angry. But I remember she’s still here and that’s so much better than not having her here.’