Vatican City: A passionate pro-life advocate Jessica Hanna, a mother of four, was diagnosed with terminal breast cancer when she was 14 weeks pregnant. But she did not give up. Several doctors advised her to have an abortion but she declined, choosing life instead.
In an interview with EWTN Pro-Life Weekly, she described how this pregnancy was very different from her previous three saying, “This was God calling me to something so big.”
Before getting pregnant, Mrs. Hanna had noticed a dent in her breast. Doctors misdiagnosed it saying it was benign. Two weeks later she found out she was pregnant. At her first OB-GYN appointment, she had doctors look at it again. It then became evident she had breast cancer. Initially, doctors thought it was a small, stage 1 tumour. However, after undergoing surgery, she was told the tumour was 13 centimetres, and stage four — meaning the cancer likely was terminal.
A devout Catholic, Mrs. Hanna turned to her faith to help get her through the difficult times. After each chemotherapy treatment, she prayed at the tomb of Blessed Father Solanus Casey, a soon-to-be saint whose body is buried in Detroit, her hometown.
“I prayed at his tomb for me to be miraculously healed and for my son to come out beautiful and healthy,” she said.
Another saint she turned to was St Gianna Beretta Molla. St Gianna was also diagnosed with a life-threatening illness while pregnant. Hanna explained that similar to St Gianna, she chose to do some treatment during pregnancy that wouldn’t endanger her baby.
“Many people are not aware chemotherapy can be actually quite safe during pregnancy,” Mrs. Hanna said. “I chose the middle road that I would do some chemotherapy with some modifications, and she was a big inspiration for me.”
After being diagnosed, she felt God was calling her to something. Unsure of her own future, she made a social media account two days after her diagnosis to share her journey with others and create a prayer community where she could pray with her followers and offer up her suffering for their intentions.