Cancer Survivor Fulfils Dream of Motherhood

How Did Cancer Change Lilian's Path to Motherhood?

In 2018, at 30 years old, Lilian Reis was planning to get pregnant when her life was turned upside down. First came a ruptured cerebral aneurysm. Just five months later, she received a diagnosis of triple-negative breast cancer — one of the most aggressive forms of the disease — in what was supposed to be the year she started her family.

What Did Treatment Involve?

Lilian underwent 16 cycles of chemotherapy, a total mastectomy of her left breast with axillary clearance, and 25 sessions of radiotherapy. The physical and emotional toll was immense. Losing her breast shook her deeply: she feared looking in the mirror and not recognising herself, not accepting the woman she had always been.

How Did Cancer Affect Her Fertility?

After treatment ended, her oncologist cleared her to try for a baby in 2021. But specialists discovered that chemotherapy had reduced her ovarian reserve, making natural pregnancy unlikely. Artificial insemination was suggested as an alternative — with no guarantee of success. The uncertainty was, she says, one of the hardest phases of her life.

How Did the Dream Finally Come True?

Against the odds, in November 2023 Lilian discovered she was naturally pregnant. Her son Isaque was born and is now 2 years old. When Isaque was just seven months old, the family received another surprise: Lilian was pregnant again. Maria Helena, now 7 months old, followed. Today, Lilian — now 38 — lives in Presidente Médici, Rondônia, and runs her own business while raising two young children.

"Motherhood was always my greatest dream. I never imagined I would have to travel such a long, painful and challenging road to get there," she says.