New mom diagnosed with breast cancer while pregnant
Courtesy of Nikki Williams
Nikki Williams was diagnosed with breast cancer when she was five months pregnant with Asher. She currently is undergoing chemotherapy.
Nikki Williams, with her husband, Andy, and their son Asher, who was born Jan. 21
Courtesy of Nikki Williams
Nikki Williams and her mom, Denise Cervantes
Courtesy of Nikki Williams
Nikki Williams is a 29-year-old mom who was diagnosed with breast cancer while pregnant with her son, Asher. She’s looking forward to completing chemotherapy and radiation treatments and focusing on motherhood.
Courtesy of Nikki Williams
Nikki Williams with her husband, Andy, and their son, Asher
Courtesy of Nikki Williams
Nikki Williams with her son, Asher
Receiving a breast cancer diagnosis is scary enough.
But Nikki Williams of Donora was five months pregnant when she was diagnosed on Sept. 30, 2020.
The infectiously upbeat and feisty first-time mom, though, watched her mother beat breast cancer, and she is determined to do the same.
For Williams, 29, who delivered her son, Asher, on Jan. 21, being a mom “is by far the most amazing thing I’ve ever done, and I would not trade the sleepless nights or the fussiness, or anything. I just love every second of it.”
It was February of last year, two weeks after she had a miscarriage, when Williams felt a lump in her right breast.
Her mother, Denise Cervantes, was diagnosed with breast cancer at age 40 and is a 13-year survivor, so Williams had gotten into the habit of doing daily self-exams.
“It was a really big lump that came out of nowhere, and I’m avid about working out, so I thought it was a herniated chest muscle,” said Williams, a graduate of Monessen High School and Penn State University, where she earned a degree in human development and family studies.
She consulted a doctor, who believed the lump was a cyst and would resolve on its own (it was, in fact, a cyst, but it covered the cancerous tumor).
On Father’s Day weekend, with the country in the grips of the COVID-19 pandemic, Williams and her husband, Andy, found out she was pregnant. But the lump, which had shrunk, was still there.
In September, a worried Williams contacted Dr. Natalie Furguile, a breast surgeon specialist who Williams credits with saving her mother’s life over a decade ago.
An ultrasound and biopsy confirmed Williams had breast cancer.
Doctors, however, gave her encouraging news. Surgery and chemotherapy are safe during the second and third trimester of pregnancy. Asher would be OK.
“It was a crazy week. I went into Dr. Furguile’s office on a Monday. On Tuesday I had the ultrasound done. On Wednesday, the doctor confirmed in the office that it was cancer. We had the baby reveal on Thursday. And on Friday, the day after the baby gender reveal, I was in surgery,” said Williams.
Dr. Furguile performed the surgery and mastectomy. Within a month after surgery, Williams began chemotherapy at Mon Valley Hospital.
Williams was scheduled for 16 rounds of chemotherapy (she endured four rounds before Asher was born), and is slated to complete chemo treatments on April 23. She plans to have her left breast removed to lower her risk of a second breast cancer, and then she will undergo six to eight weeks of daily radiation treatment.
She hopes to have breast reconstruction surgery.
“Surprisingly, I feel great,” said Williams. “I’m very thankful that this chemo round I’m on now, and during the chemo round I had prior to delivery, I wasn’t sick.”
She does, though, have two side effects: “chemo brain,” which is marked by foggy thinking and forgetfulness, and extreme fatigue and nausea following her Friday chemo treatments.
“The hardest thing is to go to treatments once a week, because I’m away from Asher for four or five hours and I miss him. But I know what the end result is. Everything I’m doing at this point is preventative. I’m working to stay cancer-free. I am not a risk-taker when it comes to my health.”
Recovering from surgery and dealing with pain and nausea from chemotherapy while taking care of a new baby has not been easy. But Williams credits her excellent support system, including her parents and Andy’s parents.
“I couldn’t have done this without them,” said Williams. “I call and say, ‘Hey, can you come over?’ and they come over and stay with Asher while I nap. They’ve helped out so much.”
Williams is a supervisor for MPI Cleanup, a medical records company specializing in health care and is also a sponsored athlete and an author. She said she thinks having a positive attitude and being physically fit have also helped her through the cancer treatments.
“The healthier you are, the easier it is to recover from things – from surgery, from injury. And having a positive attitude lessens your stress,” said Williams.
And, said Williams, her mother has been with her every step of the way.
“She’s my best friend,” said Williams. “I feel like if I hadn’t watched my mom go through this exact same thing I would have been freaking out, but I knew exactly what to expect.”
Williams said her battle with cancer has taught her other lessons.
“First and foremost, I’ve learned I am so much stronger than I thought I was mentally,” said Williams. “Definitely, having that positive mindset, even though I’ll get anxious over things I have no control over, helps. I think, ‘Hey, I got through the hardest part.'”
She’s learned, too, that looks aren’t as important as she once believed.
“I thought I was going to be insecure. You figure, I lost all of my hair, I’m missing a boob, I’m still trying to lose baby weight. I don’t look like I used to,” said Williams. “But I didn’t lose who I was on the inside because of what happened on the outside. My confidence doesn’t come from my physical appearance.”
In fact, when Williams began losing her hair during chemotherapy, she decided to cut it and donate it to Wigs for Kids.
For Williams, cancer hasn’t changed her perspective on life, it’s reinforced it.
“Life is too short to begin with, so I try to make the most out of every day, even before my diagnosis,” said Williams. “If anything, I think this has helped me to find my calling in life to be an inspiration to those who may need it.”
Williams, who had previously written a memoir, “A Coal Miner’s Wife,” and five fantasy novels, is working on a fantasy trilogy for young adults.
“I try to put good, positive life lessons in them,” said Williams.
She has shared her experiences with breast cancer on her YouTube series, Nikki Williams Fitness, encouraging women to check their breasts regularly.
“I was 28 when I got diagnosed. Just because you’re young doesn’t mean you won’t get cancer,” Williams said.
And, she’s enjoying motherhood.
“Asher is growing so fast already,” said Williams. “I just can’t wait to see how he’s going to grow, and how he’s going to find himself. I love being a mom.”