PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) – A northeast Philadelphia mother who battled breast cancer during pregnancy was reunited Wednesday afternoon with the doctors who saved her life.
At the Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia, Angela Kaewell had the special occasion to give a big hug to OBGYN Dr. Elyce Cardonick of Cooper University Health Care and oncologist Dr. Allison Aggon of Fox Chase. Both doctors played an important role in her life when she was diagnosed with breast cancer.
“We’re all here today because I have two wonderful doctors who took very good care of me and my daughter. Two lives were saved,” Kaewell said.
The mother of two was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2019. Then she found out she was pregnant. She had a mastectomy and chemotherapy during her first trimester.
“She was nervous, wanting to hear that they have cancer at any point in life, let alone when they are pregnant,” says Dr. Cardonick, who has been helping mothers like Kaewell battling cancer during their pregnancy for more than 20 years.
Cardonick operates a birth registry, which tracks mothers around the world who have had their cancer treated during pregnancy, then monitors the health of their children as they grow up. It’s how she can be a consultant and make recommendations on how other doctors should treat pregnant patients with different types of cancer.
Kaewell is one of hundreds of success stories. She was treated for a little over a year and continues to take medication.
dr. Allison Aggon is her oncologist. Aggon even keeps Kaewell’s birth announcement card on the wall of her office. Kaewell was the first pregnant woman she had surgery for breast cancer.
“We knew we could take good care of her and take care of baby Allison with the right resources,” said Dr. Aggon.
Kaewell named her daughter after her oncologist. She said that both women will forever be her heroes.
“They both saved me and my daughter. I can’t say anything to express how I feel for them,” Kaewell said.
For more information about the birth register CLICK HERE.
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