DIAGNOSED WITH STAGE 4 BREAST CANCER AT SEVEN MONTHS PREGNANT — KIERSTEN’S JOURNEY TO MOTHERHOOD AND HOPE
At seven months pregnant, Kiersten Rapplean received news that suddenly changed the course of her pregnancy and her life.
Doctors diagnosed her with stage 4 inflammatory breast cancer, leaving Kiersten and her family facing an extraordinarily difficult situation. With her unborn son still growing, there was little time to pause. Treatment had to begin while she was still pregnant.
Kiersten started chemotherapy during pregnancy, navigating the physical and emotional challenges of treatment while preparing to welcome her baby.
At 36 weeks, doctors induced labor so that she could move forward with the next phase of her treatment. Kiersten gave birth to her son, but her medical journey was far from over.
Only days after becoming a mother, she began targeted therapy.
Through exhausting treatments and uncertain moments, her newborn son became a powerful source of motivation. Every step forward carried another reason to keep looking toward the future.
Kiersten has credited the medical professionals at SSM Health St. Joseph Hospital Cancer Center with supporting her throughout the journey and helping her navigate treatment during such an unusual and challenging pregnancy.
Today, Kiersten says she is cancer-free.
Her story is a remarkable reminder of how quickly life can change — and how hope can emerge even in the middle of frightening circumstances.
What began with a devastating diagnosis during pregnancy ultimately became a story about motherhood, medical care, perseverance and the determination to see another day with the child she had fought so hard to meet.
For Kiersten, her son was not simply waiting for her at the end of the journey.
He was beside her throughout it.
