CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Throughout the month of October 3NEWS has brought you stories from various breast cancer survivors who all exude a great deal of strength. This is the story of Tiffany Wilburn, whose diagnosis could not have come at a worse time.
Going to the doctor's office can be frightening for some. Like Tiffany Wilburn, no one expects the worst. It was April 15, 2022 when Wilburn received a call she would never forget.
"I noticed a lump in my breast," she said. "Went in for a mammogram, and they wanted a biopsy and I got a call in a couple of days that it was cancer."
She was fearful of the unknown.
"You hear about it happening to someone else, and of course, you feel for them. You pray for them. But it's just so surreal when it happens to you."
What made her situation ever scarier, was the fact that she was pregnant with her sixth child.
"Being pregnant, there's a lot of questions," Wilburn said. "Can I get treated? Will it hurt the baby?"
Wilburn got those questions answered at MD Anderson.
"I found out chemo was actually fairly safe for pregnant women," she said.
Over the span of six months she received both amino and chemo therapy. Wilburn remained strong for her husband and five children. She welcomed her healthy baby boy, Nathaniel, four weeks early.
"It's hard wondering if you have to come home and tell your children that you may not be here much longer."
At the time of Wilburn's surgery in December of 2022, her 11-centimeter mass was less than 1 percent active. She attributes that to the treatment but also the prayers she received from loved ones.
"Today thankfully, I'm cancer free," she said.
As for her son Nathaniel, he's as happy and healthy as ever.
"He's a happy baby boy running around after his sisters wanting to get into everything that they're doing."