Mary Stiff
Survivor
Born and raised in Peoria, IL *just like Nancy and Susan and now living in Dallas. Mary, an LVN and a married mother of two sons, at age 38, discovered she was again pregnant in early spring 1988. It was at her three-month full physical at the obstetrician’s office that the OB picked up something that was unusual
of her breasts and sent her for testing. Sure enough, there was a malignant tumor in the milk glands of her left breast. They informed Mary of the best course of treatment, but knowing it would mean terminating the pregnancy or seriously putting the fetus at risk with the chemotherapy, she decided to wait and hope that it didn’t spread, she wanted to give the baby the best chance. In November 1988, Lezley Louise was born and a few days after that Mary had a mastectomy; the cancer had stayed confined to the milk glands. She took radiation and chemotherapy afterwards and was switched to an oral chemotherapy a short while after that. Six years afterward, Mary, was deemed cancer free and she has remained such. Lezley, is an art teacher in Fort Worth, happily married and is almost 30.