We recently reported on the sad story of how one mum maintains a presence in her daughter’s life after her untimely passing, and now we have another sad story to report.

 

A mother in the US who was diagnosed with a rare form of pregnancy-associated cancer has died the day after her daughter's first birthday.  

Athena Krueger from Minnesota was diagnosed with gestational breast cancer early on in her pregnancy and started chemotherapy for Stage 2 invasive ductile carcinoma at 15 weeks.

 

After being declared cancer-free in July, it was sadly discovered that it had spread to her lungs. Athena attended alternative therapy in Reno, Nevada, to fight it before undergoing aggressive treatment just weeks before her death.

 

Her daughter, Amari, was born eight weeks premature so that Athena could undergo treatment, and at the time of her birth the new mum told KARE11: “We knew that [the chemotherapy] hadn't touched her. It's crazy what the human body does and how the mother's body just protects the baby. I felt that immediate bond, felt we were so connected because of what we have been through and I just know she is here for a reason and going to make ripples and wonders in this world.”

 

Talking to local media station after her passing, Athena’s husband, Ben, said: “At no point until the very end, did she believe she wasn't going to be healed. She felt God's power was the only thing that could heal her.”

 

The mum-of-one documented her journey in her 'Non-blog' which she had hoped to turn into a book, Taking the Long Way Home – words her husband plans to engrave on her urn.

 

Athena celebrated her daughter Amari’s first birthday before sadly passing away in her husband’s arms the next day. 

 

While you should always get any lumps checked by a doctor whether you are expecting or not,  according to Cancer Research UK, "breast cancer during pregnancy is very rare, and happens in about 1 in 3,000 pregnancies."

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