Stricken after childbirth, a young mother survives cancer

Through Oct. 17, Philly.com and the Inquirer will publish a profile a day of transformative moments reported by breast cancer patients. The full series can be seen at www.philly.com/breastcancer

Jessica Territo was diagnosed with breast cancer a month after giving birth.

She noticed a little swelling when breast-feeding, and her obstetrician sent her for tests. A needle biopsy revealed Stage Two cancer. She was 33, mother of a newborn and a 3-year-old.

Jessica, in South Florida, took the most aggressive path - chemotherapy to shrink the tumor and then surgery to remove it. The chemo was so powerful that it hospitalized her for four days.

Doctors divided chemo treatments into halves, and during the break, they performed a double mastectomy.

Friends and family told her what a wonderful distraction her children were, how they gave her a reason to fight.

"Yet, during my darkest hours," Jessica said, "I knew the flip side of that coin. It is difficult to get sufficient sleep after chemo when you have an infant waking up for nightly feedings. You simply cannot break down crying on the floor when your 4-month-old is already there, bawling his eyes out."

Jessica worried whether she'd live long enough to be a mother to them. She also regretted how disruptive her disease was to her family.

For instance, she and her husband had wanted to put their daughter, Cameron, in preschool at age 3. But Jessica had just started chemo and her physician told her that this was a terrible idea. Cameron would be bringing home so many germs from school, and with chemo, Jessica would be vulnerable to infection. Cameron basically had no friends for a year during her mother's cancer odyssey.

The cancer hit in July 2011. After a year of treatment, in August, Jessica was doing better. Her chemo was over and there was no evidence of cancer. Her reconstructive surgery had gone well. Her hair was 21/2 inches long, enough to avoid stares.

She and her husband put Cameron, now 4, in preschool.

On the first day, they walked her into a classroom. Cameron was confident. She wasn't clingy or crying like some others. They hugged her goodbye and left with little drama. Outside, they watched through a classroom window.

That's when Jessica experienced a moment of discovery and transformation.

She grew extremely emotional, and tears flowed. She stood there, watching her little girl sit at a table with others, happily get out her crayons, and begin to color.

"It was so rewarding to see her in there, where she should be, not have to be any different because Mom's going through something," Jessica said. "I felt pride. Like, this little girl can handle anything. She handled so much."

And there was more:

"Cameron starting school represented my symbolic transition from 'patient' to 'survivor,' and I felt humbled and grateful to feel healthy enough to be there and confident enough to do so without a wig or hat.

"As I stood next to my husband and watched her, I said a prayer that healthy days will turn into healthy years and that someday we will be saying our goodbyes at college instead of preschool."

- Michael Vitez