New mom shares battle with pregnancy-associated breast cancer
UPPER WEST SIDE, Manhattan (WABC) -- A new mom from the Upper West Side is bravely sharing her battle with breast cancer.
Reilly Starr says she had no idea that what she thought were blocked milk ducts while nursing her new baby boy were actually the beginning signs of cancer.
For six months, she nursed her son Milan, which came with many challenges -- the biggest being the stubborn lumps she had discovered this past May.
Starr shared this information with her doctor, who did not suspect this was a sign of cancer. Instead, it took seven months of enduring severe pain for Starr to finally get a prescription for an ultrasound.
"Everything came to an abrupt halt one day, when I finally got my ultrasound and my mammogram and had seven biopsies taken," Starr said.
All seven biopsies came back cancer positive, and Starr was informed that she has Stage 4 breast cancer.
Chief of Breast Surgery at Mt. Sinai, Dr. Elisa Port, says that the percentage of women having pregnancy-associated breast cancer is actually very low, only about one in 3,000 women.
But the percentage is not zero, and Dr. Port says that is the problem.
This new mom has been through a lot, but she says that her son and the support of her devoted family help her get through.
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