Fairport cancer survivor shares her story
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Linda Ross was determined to follow through with her pregnancy after being diagnosed with breast cancer five months into it. "I just had to do it," she said.
Fairport, N.Y. —
It was 1991 and Linda Ross was five months pregnant with her second child. Then she found a lump on her breast.
Her mother and two sisters had previously been diagnosed with breast cancer, and although her doctor doubted her intuition that the lump was cancerous, she couldn’t help but think, “It’s my turn now,” she said. “I just knew.”
A biopsy proved her suspicions were correct. The doctor immediately told her it would be best to terminate her pregnancy because her baby wouldn’t be able to survive the destructive chemotherapy, but Ross immediately refused. After having a stillborn baby at five months, the 32-year-old was determined to follow through with this pregnancy and give her 10-month-old son Kevin a little brother or sister.
Nevertheless, her doctor pressed her to have an abortion, and even referred her to a physician in Colorado who performed long-term abortions. The next day, she saw a special on “60 Minutes” that featured the same doctor. Although shocked at the timing, she felt more and more comfortable with her decision to have the baby. Ross then underwent masectomy surgery with positive results — the cancer had not spread to her lymph nodes. This improved her chances of survival after prolonging treatment until after pregnancy.
In May of 1992 she gave birth to her daughter, Kristi. She then followed through with chemotherapy and has been cancer-free ever since. Miraculously, so have her mother and sisters who also battled the disease.
With endless support from her husband Stan, Ross says that having her daughter with her throughout the ordeal gave her more strength to beat cancer by making the pregnancy her primary focus.
“I felt like she was with me the whole time,” said Ross. “She’s very strong-willed,” she added with a chuckle.
Today, Kristi is 19 and attends the University of Central Florida.
Ross, now 52, works with children at the Early Learning Center at St. John Fisher College. She and her family members who were diagnosed all found their tumors through self-examination — something whose importance Ross can’t emphasize enough. Through her own experience, Ross has learned that it’s important to know your body and be an advocate for yourself.
On May 21 she was the guest speaker at the Fairport Relay For Lifeevent, which raised more than $129,000 for the American Cancer Society. Although it’s been nearly two decades since she was first diagnosed, it finally felt like the right time to share her story with others.
“When people see some kind of strength in me, what do I have to lose?” she said.
Her mother and two sisters had previously been diagnosed with breast cancer, and although her doctor doubted her intuition that the lump was cancerous, she couldn’t help but think, “It’s my turn now,” she said. “I just knew.”
A biopsy proved her suspicions were correct. The doctor immediately told her it would be best to terminate her pregnancy because her baby wouldn’t be able to survive the destructive chemotherapy, but Ross immediately refused. After having a stillborn baby at five months, the 32-year-old was determined to follow through with this pregnancy and give her 10-month-old son Kevin a little brother or sister.
Nevertheless, her doctor pressed her to have an abortion, and even referred her to a physician in Colorado who performed long-term abortions. The next day, she saw a special on “60 Minutes” that featured the same doctor. Although shocked at the timing, she felt more and more comfortable with her decision to have the baby. Ross then underwent masectomy surgery with positive results — the cancer had not spread to her lymph nodes. This improved her chances of survival after prolonging treatment until after pregnancy.
In May of 1992 she gave birth to her daughter, Kristi. She then followed through with chemotherapy and has been cancer-free ever since. Miraculously, so have her mother and sisters who also battled the disease.
With endless support from her husband Stan, Ross says that having her daughter with her throughout the ordeal gave her more strength to beat cancer by making the pregnancy her primary focus.
“I felt like she was with me the whole time,” said Ross. “She’s very strong-willed,” she added with a chuckle.
Today, Kristi is 19 and attends the University of Central Florida.
Ross, now 52, works with children at the Early Learning Center at St. John Fisher College. She and her family members who were diagnosed all found their tumors through self-examination — something whose importance Ross can’t emphasize enough. Through her own experience, Ross has learned that it’s important to know your body and be an advocate for yourself.
On May 21 she was the guest speaker at the Fairport Relay For Lifeevent, which raised more than $129,000 for the American Cancer Society. Although it’s been nearly two decades since she was first diagnosed, it finally felt like the right time to share her story with others.
“When people see some kind of strength in me, what do I have to lose?” she said.
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