Heartbreaking reason why news anchor had been off the air
A popular news anchor has revealed she had been off the air of late due to a tragic diagnosis.
Michelle Velez shared her story on Thursday, detailing she had been diagnosed with rare gynaecological cancer after an abnormal pregnancy.
“What I had was called a molar pregnancy. It’s a pregnancy that is not viable — meaning a fetus never formed — but instead of miscarrying, the pregnancy continued to grow and produced invasive tissue,” the Las Vegas anchor shared on both Facebook and Instagram.
“In some very rare cases that tissue can turn into cancer and spread to other organs in the body. That is what happened to me. No good reason. Just unfortunate dumb luck.”
Velez continued that the “great news” is that the cancer is treatable, but that “the bad news is I have to go through aggressive chemo to kill it”.
Her news was met with an outpouring of support, with some people who had also withstood cancer treatments urging Velez to “stay strong,” “rest” and “keep that positive attitude”.
A molar pregnancy, also known as hydatidiform mole, occurs in only one of every 1000 to 1200 US pregnancies.
According to Harvard Medical School’s Harvard Health Publishing, it’s a type of Gestational Trophoblastic Disease (GTD).
“After a sperm fertilises an egg, new tissues develop that normally form the foetus and placenta, but that molar pregnancy occurs when the tissue that was supposed to form the placenta grows abnormally and can form a tumour that can spread beyond the womb or uterus,” it says.
Gynaecological oncologist with LSU Health New Orleans, Amelia Jernigan, said she saw only one molar pregnancy every year or two.
“We’ve gotten better at identifying these early and we follow it closely,” Jernigan said.
“So, while it’s scary, if we can identity it and treat it, people can do OK.”
Getting an ultrasound in early pregnancy is an important step, she says, because, doctors “are going to be able to tell something’s wrong most of the time on an ultrasound”.
Risk factors for GTD include being over 40, a history of miscarriages, and a diet high in beta carotene or Vitamin A.
Symptoms of a molar pregnancy, according to the International Society for the Study of Trophoblastic Diseases, “usually appear in the second or third month of pregnancy”.
“There may be abnormal bleeding or cramps or the passage of some tissue. There may be severe vomiting, more than in normal pregnancy,” it says.
Velez is now focusing on her recovery and is grateful the cancer is treatable.
“There is so much more to this ... but the important part again ... is that it’s treatable. My spirits are good for the most part thanks to our incredible support system and our strong faith,” she wrote in her post.
“I look forward to coming back healthy and strong again.”
In her post she also revealed the story behind a black and white photo she shared.
“This picture is of my mother hugging me after making it through my first day of chemo. I know it seems sad ... but I don’t see it that way. I look at it as a warrior hug. One step closer to the end,” she said.
– Yahoo Lifestyle.
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