‘THE RIGHT DECISION’
The pregnancy of Jillian O’Connor: A story of hope, inspiration and a terminal diagnosis. ‘Things can change on a dime,’ says the Ottawa nurse.
Jillian O’Connor counted her son’s fingers and toes, then counted them again. Declan O’Connor was perfect, despite the odds.
“I feel wonderful,” she said Monday. “I feel great after having him. Declan means ‘full of goodness.’ It is very fitting because he is full of goodness.”
The birth of Declan Kenneth on Feb. 1 brought joy and relief to Ms. O’Connor and her husband, David. Ms. O’Connor, who was diagnosed with extremely rare metastatic breast cancer in the early weeks of her pregnancy, required chemotherapy to keep her alive. Not until her son’s birth did she know for certain that he had thrived despite the medical interventions his mother needed while pregnant.
“Holding him in our arms and knowing how perfect he is, it is just affirmation that [the treatment] was absolutely the right decision we could have made.”
But his birth has also brought sobering news.
The 31-year-old nurse and mother of three now knows that her cancer is incurable. While in the hospital after giving birth, she received some of the diagnostic tests she had been unable to undergo while pregnant. They confirmed the cancer, which had already metastasized to her liver, has spread further. Ms. O’Connor begins intensive treatment Tuesday with the goal of giving her as much time with her new baby and his two siblings as possible.
On Monday, at the Ottawa Hospital’s General Campus, an upbeat and beaming Ms. O’Connor introduced her baby to Dr. Mark Clemons, the oncologist and researcher at the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute whose innovative treat-
ment saved both the mother and the baby’s life during the pregnancy.
Dr. Clemons had said earlier chemo carried potential risks for the baby. But, without it, Ms. O’Connor wouldn’t have survived more than a few weeks because the cancer had spread to her liver.
Ms. O’Connor says that from the first time she met the oncologist, who is internationally recognized for treating pregnant women with breast cancer, she felt hope. She says she continues to be hopeful about the future. “There are so many advances, especially with cancer
research, I really think things can change on a dime.”
Ms. O’Connor, who had been given two years to live, says she hopes to defy the odds and “add a zero to that two.”
Ms. O’Connor’s story has touched many people in Ottawa, both strangers and friends. A group of former colleagues has begun a fundraising campaign to help Ms. O’Connor and her family with expenses. The nurse, who had been on maternity leave before her cancer diagnosis, does not have sick leave, disability leave or benefits.
She has applied for CPP disability insurance but has not heard whether she qualifies. Meanwhile, her husband is working 12-hour shifts to help the family pay the bills.
“Her friends think she is one of the most amazing women to ever draw breath and we cannot let this go, until she has help,” wrote Beverly Hatfield, a nurse at Queensway Carleton Hospi-
tal who has helped organize the fundraising effort at www.gofundme.com/welovejillian.
By Monday afternoon, the campaign had raised more than $4,300.
“Our goal is to raise enough money to cover her bills and provide some care for her three young children. It’s time to care for the caregiver.”
Ms. O’Connor and her husband have two other young children, Myla, 3, and Landon, 18 months. Ms. O’Connor was just preparing to return to work after having Landon when she discovered a lump and was quickly diagnosed with Stage 4 breast cancer.
While her story is rare — Dr. Clemons has only treated three women with metastatic breast cancer — her attitude makes Ms. O’Connor stand out, he said.
“You have a very brave mother; she loves you very much,” Dr. Clemons said Monday as he cuddled the baby.
Dr. Clemons will now change Ms. O’Connor’s chemotherapy, giving her drugs he could not while she was pregnant. Although her cancer is incurable, Dr. Clemons said the goal is longevity and quality of life.
Ms. O’Connor, who was raised by an older sister after both of her parents died when she was 11, called her illness a “test. Everybody is tested in different ways. This is just another test in our lives and we are going to get through it just like we do with everything else.”
Ms. O’Connor says it is her children who keep her positive about the future. “I think that is just where you have to draw your strength from.
“Anything Dr. Clemons has suggested so far has resulted in nothing but perfection, so I know he is going to try everything absolutely possible. That is what I want. I want longevity for them and for myself and for us to be a family.”
I really think things can change on a dime