In 2010, a 15-year-old Sydne Mushaben was diagnosed with stage two Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. She had to undergo chemo and radiation, and then was told by doctors she was in the clear.
9 months later, her cancer returned. This time, Mushaben’s treatment was three times the intensity and included a bone marrow transplant. During her treatment, Mushaben and her mother moved to New York into the Ronald McDonald house, leaving her brother behind with her father. After six months and successful treatment, Mushaben returned to her home in Florida. Three years later, Mushaben sought fertility testing to find out if having a child would ever be a possibility. After extensive examinations of her eggs and hormone levels, she was told it was a hopeless cause. “They said it would be easier to get my fifty-year-old mother pregnant than me,” said Mushaben. One year later, almost to the day, Mushaben came down with what she thought was the flu. Her mother brought her to the emergency room and was told by the doctor’s there that she was pregnant. Though she conceived a child against all the odds, Mushaben’s difficult journey toward motherhood wasn’t over. Due to severe morning sickness during her first trimester, Mushaben had to drop her courses at Saint Leo University and move home with her mother. Luckily, her second trimester was much easier than the first. During her third trimester, however, Mushaben was diagnosed with cholestasis of pregnancy. As a precaution for the baby’s health, Mushaben delivered her baby girl a month early. Even though bringing her into the world was extremely difficult, baby Charlotte was totally healthy and born at six pounds and fourteen ounces. Before getting pregnant, Mushaben completed two years of pre-medical studies at Saint Leo University. Earlier this month, she started classes again at St. Petersburg College with plans to transfer to the University of South Florida. She intends to eventually get a doctorate in pediatric oncology. As for Charlotte, Mushaben hopes “she’s happy, courageous, successful, and does what she feels is right in every aspect of her life,” she said. “I dream she will see the world and understand how others live. I hope she becomes an intelligent strong woman. I hope she makes a positive impact on other and society, and I dream that she never stops dreaming.”
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Archives
June 2017
Categories |