Cancer makes no distinction. The idea that this disease can affect anyone seems cliché. It’s often easier to think of this illness as something that happens to others, perhaps older people, after they’ve lived a full life. But the reality is crueler. Sarah Krajewski knows it well, she had to face two such devastating diagnoses before turning 40. It is therefore essential to be attentive to the slightest symptoms and to feel your chest to detect any slight bump. Also among the main symptoms were bronchitis, mononucleosis and atypical pneumonia.
The most surprising thing about her story is not only that she overcame both episodes, but that she did so while facing the challenge of motherhood, battling cancer while carrying a new life in her belly. The first time Krajewski faced cancer he was just 16 years old, an age when they should be worried about passing exams and first life experiences, not a disease that usually affects much older people.
He was diagnosed non-Hodgkin lymphoma, a type of cancer that affects the lymphatic system, responsible for draining excess fluid and fighting infections in the body. In his case, lymphoma arrived unexpectedly, radically changing his adolescence.
Years later, just when she thought she had put that episode behind her, cancer knocked at her door again, this time in the form of a chest tumor while she was pregnant with her third child. At 39, he once again finds himself facing a threat he already knows well. “I never imagined having to face cancer a second time”said to Parade. This second diagnosis was particularly difficult, not only because of the physical impact, but also because of the emotional burden it brought.
According to the American Cancer Society, breast cancer is a disease that mainly affects women over the age of 60. It is very rare for it to occur before the age of 45.In fact, the global average is 62 years old. But this professional midwife was not only part of this minority, but she was also younger than average when her lymphoma was diagnosed.
The signs
At the age of 16, Krajewski began noticing a series of symptoms that led her to see a doctor on a recurring basis. Among the major health problems he experienced were bronchitis, mononucleosis and atypical pneumonia. These episodes not only affected his daily life, but turned out to be a sign of something much more serious: non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Although the American Cancer Society associates the Epstein-Barr virus, which causes mononucleosis, primarily with lymphomas in HIV-positive people, in her case it was the reason she received early treatment that left her probably saved his life.
Decades later, when he had already put his first diagnosis behind him, Krajewski noticed an alarming symptom again. At 39, she discovered a lump in her right breasta discovery that immediately put her on alert. “I knew right away something was wrong,” Sarah recalls. The lump turned out to be an early sign of breast cancer, a disease that had already affected several women in her family. Although recent studies suggest that most breast lumps are usually benign, Krajewski, who was pregnant at the time, didn’t want to take any chances and acted quickly.
Sarah’s family history was a key factor in her not ignoring this second symptom. Her grandmother had faced aggressive breast cancer at the age of 28, and her aunt and mother had also received similar diagnoses. This genetic heritage encouraged her not to wait and not to rely on luck. When she noticed the lump, a colleague encouraged her to get a mammogram immediately, allowing her to receive a quick diagnosis and take action before the cancer progressed.
He therefore emphasizes the importance of being attentive to body signals. “I was very lucky to be cared for and treated quickly on both occasions”he declares. For her, these first symptoms, although subtle or common at first, were the first indications of a struggle that would mark her life forever.
The emotional shock of facing a second diagnosis was overwhelming. She was pregnant and already the mother of two young children aged two and four. Not only was she worried about her own health, but for the well-being of the baby growing in her womb. “It’s strange to have cancer while you’re pregnant. Everything we’re told to avoid during pregnancy seems insignificant compared to chemotherapy,” she reflects.
Today, she is in good health and leads a full life with her three daughters. But his story doesn’t end there. He transformed his experience into a life mission: raise funds for cancer research and educate others about the importance of early diagnosis. Competing in fairly demanding sporting events like the Pan-Mass Challenge (PMC), a 79-mile bicycle race that aims to raise money for the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, the place that saved his life. “For me, walking those 79 miles means feeling complete and finding purpose,” she says.
