Pregnant Texas mom beats Stage 3 Breast Cancer, shares story to support life-saving research
AUSTIN (KXAN) – Kelly Bodu was 28 weeks pregnant with her second child when she found a lump in her breast - and after a few tests at the doctor’s office – she was diagnosed with stage three breast cancer.
“I really thought they changed the samples in the lab because my brain could not process what was going on,” Bodu recalls about the day her doctor told her the news. “And I was pregnant -- and so far into my pregnancy -- so, yeah, it was a pretty terrible day.”
The results came the day after Father's Day in June 2023, and that’s when the fight to beat cancer began. It started with chemo treatments that summer, but Bodu said she had to pause for the birth of her second child. Then, the chemo treatments resumed for the rest of 2023. The following year she had a double mastectomy followed by radiation in August.
“Stage three is no joke,” the 40-year-old mother of two said. “I got my remission status Aug. 28 the day before my daughter turned one.”
Remission means there is no cancer detected in the body but Bodu says her post-cancer journey continues.
“I still have at least two more surgeries left for reconstruction, it's like a two-year process,” she said.
The breast cancer survivor is sharing her story to help others. Bodu is inspired from the women she heard from during her journey.
One way Bodu is sharing her story is through the Susan G. Komen VIPINK ambassador program – a Central Texas fundraiser to help fund research and treatments. She is one of 20 people in the program working to raise $120,000.
“We get to raise these critical funds just to help women all across the country in terms of research, community, care and action,” she said. “What your donations are really doing is lending money into treatment and saving people like myself. All of the research and the treatment options is the reason I'm alive today.”
Komen has collectively invested $1.1 billion in life-saving breast cancer research since 1982. On its website the nonprofit wrote it is proud to have been a catalyst that helped approve 19 new drugs in the past decade to treat the disease.
“We can raise money to help the women who are unable to access to care, like mammograms. Something as simple as a mammogram can save your life before it gets too far advanced,” Bodu said.
Bodu said she is living proof of the importance of fundraising.
“We're so close to figuring out breast cancer. And my whole goal of being a VIPINK ambassador is to reduce and eradicate breast cancer,” Bodu said. “I would not wish this upon anybody. This has been an incredibly challenging journey. I'm thankful for all the new treatment options that have been funded through Komen. I get to live another day.”
The fundraiser runs through Feb. 23.