An Inspirational Birth that Proves Anything Is Possible
The height of joy. That's what Jan Hess says she experienced the first time she rocked her baby Lila to sleep. Jan arrived at this emotional high from a low point in May 2004, when she was diagnosed with Stage 3 breast cancer.
A fourth-grade teacher from Vernon, Wis., Jan and her husband, Joe, always wanted to have children - and had been trying to get pregnant before her diagnosis. Due to her aggressive type of breast cancer, and the equally aggressive nature of her treatment, it didn't look promising for them. "Statistics told me I would most likely not be able to have children, if I lived," she says.
A Time to Fight
Jan, however, was willing to put off her treatment for several months in the hopes of harvesting eggs to freeze. Unfortunately, this attempt at having a baby in future years didn't work since her eggs weren't viable. And, the drugs Jan would have to take to fight the cancer would most likely shut down her ovaries so she and her husband couldn't conceive.
At this point, Jan had to move on and battle the cancer. After 6 months of aggressive treatments, led by ProHealth Care Regional Cancer Center oncologist Paul LeMarbre, M.D., fighting her cancer with every weapon available, she won.
A Time to Heal
In the process of rebuilding her overall health after her successful cancer treatment, Jan attended a wellness camp in Madison in March 2006, a year after her last radiation treatment. Here she experienced a holistic approach to healing, both for her mind and body, utilizing energy healing and acupuncture. "We did a lot of mind-body-spirit work," Jan says. "I just tried to stay positive and get healthy."
One month after this retreat, her reproductive system showed signs of recovering. To Jan, this was a sign that her dream of conceiving a baby was still in reach. After consulting with Dr. LeMarbre, she decided to stop taking tamoxifen, a breast cancer drug, in hopes of regaining a normal menstrual cycle. She also continued with acupuncture sessions, which helped result in a normal cycle. And six months later, the exciting news came that she was pregnant.
A Time to Celebrate
"My entire pregnancy was fantastic," Jan says. "I was so healthy throughout it that I was able to deliver naturally." Baby Lila was born on Nov. 13, 2007, weighing 7 pounds, 11 ounces at Waukesha Memorial Hospital under the care of Sherry Prowatzke, M.D., obstetrics and gynecology. "If you believe in yourself, and you believe in the people taking care of you, anything is possible," says Jan. "Anything."
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