© 2025 WGCU News
PBS and NPR for Southwest Florida
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Choices While Pregnant With Cancer: Shellfish? No. Chemo? Yes.

Mary Harris was relieved when Stella was born with a mop of thick black hair, as if she had been protected from the chemo somehow. (Howard Harris)
Mary Harris was relieved when Stella was born with a mop of thick black hair, as if she had been protected from the chemo somehow. (Howard Harris)

When Mary Harris was 35 years old, she got the devastating diagnosis that she had breast cancer. As she was preparing to deal with surgery and chemotherapy, she got another surprising piece of news: she was also pregnant.

Harris was faced with a series of wrenching decisions about how to treat her cancer while also trying to protect the health of her unborn baby. Her story is featured as part of a 10-part series on cancer co-produced by WNYC and NPR.

Guest

Copyright 2020 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Trusted by over 30,000 local subscribers

Local News, Right Sized for Your Morning

Quick briefs when you are busy, deeper explainers when it matters, delivered early morning and curated by WGCU editors.

  • Environment
  • Local politics
  • Health
  • And more

Free and local. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.

More from WGCU