PORTRAIT
Chloé
Chloé: Becoming A Mother in the Middle of Treatment
diagnosis
country
France
age at diagnosis
33
diagnosed in
2019
center
CHIC Creteil Hospital
THEMES
Paris, France: In 2019, 33-year-old Chloé was preparing to become a mother for the first time. Six months pregnant, she was focused on her baby's arrival when a persistent pain near her collarbone led to a series of medical examinations. The days spent waiting for answers felt endless.
”Waiting for the results, what do you do? Do you cry? Do you throw yourself under a train?”
The answer was very unexpected: stage IV colorectal cancer with multiple metastases in her liver.
Thinking About Her Baby First
As the diagnosis brought uncertainty about what would happen next, Chloé remained focused on her pregnancy and the health of her unborn baby. Because the cancer was particularly aggressive, treatment needed to begin quickly, even before delivery.
Like many patients, Chloé searched online for information. What she found was discouraging. Yet her attention remained fixed on the weeks ahead. Her son was due to arrive soon, and that became her priority.
“If I were diagnosed a little earlier, my son might not have been here.”
“Listen to your body, ask questions, and stay engaged in your care.”
“If I were diagnosed a little earlier, my son might not have been here.”
Pregnancy & Treatment Side by Side
Chloé began chemotherapy while still pregnant, a situation that required close coordination between oncology and maternity teams.
In December 2019, her son was born healthy. A few days later, she started an intensive treatment schedule. The months that followed were demanding. Chemotherapy caused fatigue, nausea, neuropathy and hair loss. Caring for a newborn while managing treatment became part of her everyday life.
Looking back, Chloé often describes this period as a form of resistance: continuing to move forward despite uncertainty. Her son became an important source of motivation. Years later, he would jokingly tell her that he was her superhero.
“Having a baby was a real reason to keep going.”
The Question of Surgery
The treatment was working. Scan after scan showed that the tumors in her liver were shrinking significantly. Although chemotherapy was producing encouraging results, surgery still represented her best chance of removing the disease completely. Could surgery ever be possible?
At the time, several specialists believed surgery was not an option. Chloé was told that treatment could help control the disease over time, but that removing all visible cancer would likely be impossible. As a young mother, she found it difficult to imagine a future shaped entirely by treatment schedules and hospital visits.
Then her case was reviewed by a liver surgeon who saw a different possibility.
What the Surgeons Found
In March 2021, after 18 month of chemotherapy, Chloé underwent surgery to remove the remaining liver metastases. When the pathology results came back, doctors found no active cancer cells in the tissue that had been removed. The treatment had been so effective that the remaining lesions contained only inactive tissue. Later examinations brought another surprising finding: the original tumor in her colon could no longer be identified.
The surgery marked the beginning of a new chapter. More than five years later, Chloé remains cancer-free.
The Moments That Matter Most
Today, Chloé lives near Paris with her husband and two children. In 2024, she welcomed a daughter, a possibility that once seemed uncertain. She continues regular follow-up care and remains deeply grateful to the healthcare professionals who accompanied her throughout her journey.
Looking back, Chloé encourages patients to remain active participants in their care.
“Listen to your body, ask questions, and stay engaged in your care.”
For Chloé, the moments that matter most are the ones she once wondered if she would see: her son's first day at school, family celebrations and the everyday rhythm of life with her two children.
