To say that I am in awe of the courage and strength displayed by Chantal Gauthier-Vaillancourt of Edmonton in Alberta, Canada is an understatement. Gauthier-Vaillancourt is a well know and respected midwife who has helped deliver about 300 babies and now she is expecting a baby of her own, her first. Gauthier-Vaillancourt waited for years to have a child because in 2009 she was diagnosed with a malignant melanoma in her right eye that could spread to the liver and bones. She chose to treat it with natural therapies and radiation. She went into remission for five years, then she and her husband found out the were expecting. Unfortunately, the cancer came back.
Now, it is very likey that Gauthier-Vaillancourt will pass the cancer on to her child, so instead she is going to have her eye removed to protect her baby. Tell me that's not love.
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When the couple found out the were pregnant they were thrilled, of course. "About two weeks later I went for my regular checkup and it was then that we discovered that the tumour had grown substantially in a very short period of time," Gauthier-Vaillancourt says.
There was a 25 percent chance that the cancer could spread to the placenta. The treatment options offered were abortion, radiation and surgery to remove the eye. None of those options were right for the couple at the time. They certainly didn't want an abortion or radiation and they were concerned that surgery would lead to a premature birth that the baby could not possibly survive. So they waited, used natural therapies that were not covered by their healthcare and now that the baby is 28 weeks along, Gauthier-Vaillancourt has made the very difficult decision to have surgery to remove her eye because although the placenta remains tumor free, there is a 70 percent chance that she will pass her cancer on to the baby and that's a chance she is not willing to take.
Why the surgery now, when she wasn't willing to do it earlier? Because as a midwife, she knows and is confident that her child is developed enough to be able to survive, which wasn't the case at 8 weeks.
I would tell you that this woman is going to be an amazing mother, but that would be ridiculous because she is already an amazing mother. I wish her all the best. May the surgery go well, may she recover quickly, may her child be born healthy and sound.
If you have a moment, I suggest that you watch this news clip because the way that Gauthier-Vaillancourt is facing such a difficult moment in her life is truly admirable and inspirational. If you would like to help, a fundraising page has been set up by a friend to help cover the costs of the natural therapies that were not covered by insurance.
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Image via Global News*
