St. Thomas Helps Grammy Nominee With Cancer and New Baby – Wgnsradio

(NASHVILLE)In April 2021, Grammy-nominated Christian artist, Alexis Butcher was hit with a whirlwind of emotions. Alexis found out she was expecting a baby girl a few weeks before she was diagnosed with stage I breast cancer.

I found a lump in my breast, Alexis recalls. I just thought it was a symptom of being pregnant. I was only 27 and didnt know it could happen at such a young age. Alexis decided to schedule an appointment with her OBGYN. My doctor was concerned about the lump and referred me to Premier Radiology, Alexis said. The next morning, she had an ultrasound that confirmed her results were very irregular.

Alexis then met with Dr. Dias, breast surgeon at Ascension Saint Thomas Hospital Midtown, to perform a biopsy. Her results showed that she had stage I breast cancer. Alexis was 27 weeks pregnant when she started her first round of chemotherapy. It was very tiring, she said. Alexis got through two rounds of chemotherapy until her body couldnt handle the changes anymore. At 32 weeks, Alexis started having chest pain and immediately went to the Ascension Saint Thomas Hospital Midtown Emergency Department.

My baby's heart rate was dropping, said Alexis. The team decided to do an emergency c-section, and my daughter Lila was born on May 22nd, 2021. Lila then spent three weeks in the Ascension Saint Thomas Hospital Midtown NICU. While Alexis was recovering from her c-section, days after receiving chemotherapy, she became neutropenic. Being neutropenic meant her body was not producing enough white blood cells to help fight off an infection. Alexis then spent an additional ten days in the hospital. My husband and I just hit survival mode after Lila was born," Alexis said. But we had the beauty of this baby bringing so much joy into our lives.

Just four weeks after giving birth, Alexis began hormone therapy weekly for 12 weeks and immunotherapy every three weeks. Later, she had a double mastectomy, lymph nodes removed, and in February 2022, completed her five-week treatment with radiology. Just recently, Alexis decided to move forward with reconstruction surgery.

As far as we know, God willing, that is the final step of my cancer journey, said Alexis. We are just now processing everything. We have some wonderful family and friends that listen to our highs and lows, and I am truly thankful for the care I received at Ascension Saint Thomas.

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St. Thomas Helps Grammy Nominee With Cancer and New Baby - Wgnsradio