In June 2017, Jade Wyngaardt’s life couldn’t have been going better. She had just started her own company and was doing amazing things with it, but her body was telling a different story.
“I didn’t know what it was but I just had a feeling that something wasn’t right,” she remembers. “I did a self-examination and found a lump.” When she told her husband, he dragged her to the doctor and she was diagnosed with Stage 1 breast cancer. With her doctors, they formulated a treatment plan to fight it, but a few days before her scheduled mastectomy, the then mom of two woke up to a familiar feeling.
“I took a pregnancy test and it confirmed that I was indeed pregnant.” For anyone else, this would be a blessing, but in Jade’s case, it was a death sentence. “I had a hormone-sensitive cancer, so I was essentially giving it fuel to grow.”
The doctors recommended that, when they perform her mastectomy, they terminate the pregnancy. “On the day there was a complication, so though I had the surgery I was still pregnant. For me, it was a sign.”
Her treatment plan changed dramatically, but she’s happy to report that, not only is she healthy, but so are her twins! “I went into this journey thinking I would lose my life, but I came out of it with so much more.” Today, Jade’s home is busy with the sounds of happy little feet.
Watch: Meett Jade Wyngaardt
