{"id":176450,"date":"2017-12-18T14:28:37","date_gmt":"2017-12-18T19:28:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.liveaction.org\/news\/?p=176450"},"modified":"2017-12-15T16:28:55","modified_gmt":"2017-12-15T21:28:55","slug":"pregnant-and-diagnosed-with-cancer-alicia-chose-life-for-her-baby-boy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/pregnant-and-diagnosed-with-cancer-alicia-chose-life-for-her-baby-boy\/","title":{"rendered":"Pregnant and diagnosed with cancer, Alicia chose life for her baby boy"},"content":{"rendered":"
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(Secular Pro-Life<\/a>)\u00a0During the summer of 2015, Alicia Young started experiencing some unusual symptoms: weight gain, neck swelling, moodiness, easily becoming sick, and extreme fatigue.<\/p>\n

She fell ill quite often, getting three ear infections all within four months. At the young age of twenty-five she felt it was not normal, so she made an appointment with an ear, nose, and throat specialist to see if something more serious was going on. After the doctor examined her, he said that everything looked fine and that Alicia shouldn’t worry too much about it. Even with his reassurance, she couldn’t shake the feeling that something was not right. She was always a healthy, active and energetic person.<\/p>\n

At the time, she had a two-year-old and a ten-month-old. The logical explanation her doctor gave her was that the two young children were running her down. Young decided to go back to her primary provider and explain more fully the symptoms she was experiencing for a second opinion.<\/p>\n

Thankfully, she wholeheartedly listened, and mentioned that Alicia’s neck look enlarged. That doctor ordered blood tests, a neck ultrasound and a sinus scan. After completing the test it was determined that Alicia had two separate four-centimeter nodules on her thyroid that needed to be biopsied. Not even twenty-four hours after the biopsy was done did the phone call come that she had cancer and needed surgery immediately.<\/p>\n

After her first surgery in October 2015, the doctors expressed it was a success! At her three week post-op check and scan, it was determined that the lymph nodes that are around the thyroid also needed to be extracted\u2014a surgery that was completed at the end of November of 2015. It was so emotionally and physically draining.<\/p>\n

After her surgeries, she was on track to start her radioactive iodine treatment after Christmas. Before she went into her appointment, scans had to be done and blood had to be drawn. Alicia arrived to her appointment with total expectation to hear the side affects of radiation and how the treatment would affect her life.<\/p>\n

Instead, the doctor came in and rather matter-of-factly stated that her blood results had came back and that she was roughly four to six weeks pregnant. He recommended immediate termination. He stated that if she didn\u2019t terminate, she would need another surgery.<\/p>\n