A new mom was thrown on an emotional rollercoaster ride when she received a devastating call from her doctor, diagnosing her with a rare form of cancer just days after giving birth to a baby boy.
Lydia Dutcher, 29, gave birth to her son Theo on February 5, 2024, and despite an infection, the operation went smoothly.
It wasn’t until Valentine’s Day that she received a call from her doctor notifying her of the unthinkable – she had a tumor on her placenta and was diagnosed with choriocarcinoma, a cancer that grows rapidly.
‘I thought it would be about Theo’s newborn screenings, never in a million years did I think she was calling to tell me I had cancer,’ Dutcher told UW Health.
Choriocarcinoma originates from abnormal cells in the placenta and can develop after a pregnancy.
Since she had an infection while giving birth, her placenta was sent to a lab for testing, and doctors found the tumor.
‘I’d learned about in medical school, but had never seen before,’ her doctor, Danielle Hartwig recalled.
Dutcher was stunned to hear the news, and her concern only grew when her doctor said there was limited information on her form of cancer.
Dutcher credited her medical team at UW Health and her husband, Matthew, for supporting her throughout her cancer journey
The new mom endured a 10-week regimen of chemotherapy and just recently celebrated one year of being cancer-free
The new mom recalled to PEOPLE that her doctor told her, ‘I’ve been researching it. I don’t know really what the next steps are going to be.’
‘I just remember my heart dropping. I honestly thought I was going to die,’ Dutcher said.
Adding to her growing concerns, her son Theo was also at risk of the diagnosis. Hartwig said it’s rare for cancer to spread to an unborn child, but not impossible.
The next step was to see if Theo had abnormal hormone levels by giving him a pregnancy test.
‘If an infant boy shows hormone levels that only come from a placenta, it’s a sure sign he also has tumor growth that stemmed from the choriocarcinoma,’ Hartwig explained.
Dutcher was relieved to find her son didn’t contract her cancer, but the road to her recovery was still just getting started.
Dutcher’s doctors worried that her cancer had spread beyond her placenta. She underwent a CT scan, a brain MRI, and an ultrasound to determine her treatment plan.
Her gynecologic oncologist, Dr. Lisa Barroilhet, found spots on her lungs, and Dutcher was diagnosed with Stage 3 choriocarcinoma.
Choriocarcinoma often spreads through the blood to the lungs, but can be treated with chemotherapy, according to Barroilhet.
Dutcher was diagnosed with choriocarcinoma, a rare and rapidly spreading cancer that develops from tissue that forms the placenta
The same month that Dutcher gave birth, she headed back to the hospital to begin a 10-week regimen of intravenous chemotherapy.
Her maternity leave looked a lot different from what she had pictured, with grueling chemotherapy sessions and frequent overnight stays at the hospital.
‘From the early newborn days to starting chemotherapy, those first months with Theo were a blur, but the experience made me appreciate my life and being a mom that much more,’ Dutcher recalled.
‘I felt such amazing support from my husband, our parents, our family and friends,’ she continued.
On April 23, Dutcher announced on social media that she was preparing for her last chemo infusion.
‘This is the best news ever, I’m so ready to be done. Life is going to get so so so much better and I’m here to stay,’ she wrote in an Instagram post.
Lydia Dutcher, 29, received a devastating call just weeks after giving birth to a baby boy named Theo (Pictured with Theo and her husband Matthew)
A few weeks ago, Dutcher celebrated her one-year anniversary of being cancer free and her second Mother’s Day with Theo.
She told UW Health that she was grateful for the community she found during her cancer journey and support from her loved ones, including her husband, Matthew.
‘And I also found community with a few people online who’ve experienced this, so I hope to be that support for others,’ Dutcher added.
‘I’ve learned so much about myself and what really matters.’
The family has a GoFundMe account to help alleviate the burden of Dutcher’s medical bills.
