MILWAUKEE — When 31-year-old Alisen Parr found out she was pregnant with her first child, she said her family couldn’t have been more excited.
Watch: Wisconsin nurse battles breast cancer during pregnancy
“Just finding out I was pregnant was amazing,” Alisen said. “My sisters had just had babies, so everyone was baby crazy. It was really fun to be able to tell everybody.”
At 20 weeks, she had another surprise — she was having the first boy in a family full of girls.
“I come from a family of four girls. My sisters only had girls, and even my husband’s brother had girls. So this little boy is a big deal,” she said.
But soon, joy turned to fear. During her pregnancy, Alisen noticed a small lump in her breast.
“I was showering one day and just felt this lump,” she said. “I Googled everything.”
The day after her 20-week anatomy scan, doctors delivered devastating news: The lump was cancerous.
“I went from being on cloud nine to completely devastated,” Alisen said. “No one ever expects to hear the word cancer.”
As a nurse and expectant mother, she said she experienced a roller coaster of emotions.
“I was finally enjoying being pregnant, and then finding out I had cancer … all I could think about was, what’s going to happen to my baby?”
Alisen underwent multiple surgeries while still pregnant, while doctors closely monitored her son’s heartbeat during each procedure.
“They checked his heart tones throughout both surgeries, and he rocked it the entire time,” she said. “He’s been doing great.”
Alisen said her strength comes from her husband, her family and her unborn son — the little boy who’s already giving her the courage to keep fighting.
Now, she’s sharing her story to encourage other women to listen to their bodies.
“Get yourself checked out,” she said. “You’d rather be safe than sorry.”
She hopes her experience serves as a reminder that breast cancer can affect anyone, even during pregnancy.
“You’re the only one who knows when something feels off, so trust that instinct.”
According to the Mayo Clinic, common signs of breast cancer include a lump or thickened area in the breast, a nipple that turns inward, or changes in the size, shape or color of the breast.
Alisen's medical expenses are building up, if you would like to help her during this difficult time, click here.
Community Rallying Around Alisen
Friends and family are now rallying around Alisen.
A fundraiser will be held Saturday, Nov. 23, at noon at Redbar, located on St. Francis Avenue. The event will include a meat raffle, 50/50 raffle, quarter-barrel giveaways, and more.
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