Rachel Cook Northway, a 39-year-old living in the New York area, was not expecting to receive a cancer diagnosis, especially while seven months pregnant with her second child. But after feeling a lump on her breast and then getting an exam, ultrasound, and biopsy, she learned that she had breast cancer. Later she learned that the cancer had spread to her liver and was, in fact, stage 4.

Northway took important steps to give her the best possible outcomes. With the help of her healthcare team, she delivered her son a month early via cesarean delivery, then prepared to start cancer treatment. Pregnancy-associated breast cancer is breast cancer diagnosed during pregnancy or within the first year after giving birth. It can sometimes be difficult to diagnose due to hormonal changes in the breasts that occur during pregnancy. Pregnancy-related hormones such as estrogen and progesterone and the immune-suppressing effects of pregnancy can increase the risk.

A co-worker recommended she go see Douglas K. Marks, MD, a medical oncologist and the medical director of the clinical trials office at Perlmutter Cancer Center at NYU Langone Hospital—Long Island. She immediately felt comfortable with Dr. Marks, and after a two-week recovery from her cesarean delivery, he started her on a targeted combination therapy to treat her breast cancer.

“Dr. Marks clearly explained to me exactly what all these different medications would do and how we would take on my case,” said Northway. “That helped me understand exactly what was going to happen to me, and understanding that process helped a lot.”

Three years later, Northway is now considered to have no evidence of disease, continuing to take daily medication and seeing Dr. Marks regularly to manage her treatment. She has started her own wellness brand, Northway Edit, which aims to help people customize their skincare and makeup routines to include natural and nontoxic ingredients.

“Rachel remained positive and diligent throughout her treatment, which was really inspiring to see,” said Dr. Marks. “We put her on this frontline therapy with a gold-standard regimen and saw a superb response.”

Now, Northway is back to life and enjoys working out, being with her children—now 7 and 3—and going with her husband to see jazz performances.

“My care teams were so good about keeping me informed throughout my treatments, which meant a lot to me,” said Northway. “They let me know how serious my case was, and that they were going to take it seriously.”