Miracle child; miracle mom
Posted: 3/3/2010

By Christy Kenner and Angie Brown

Some phrases generally evoke strong emotions in a person.

"You're pregnant!" can bring tears of joy.

Then there's, "It's cancer." The tears are different.

Now imagine hearing both of these with in just a few weeks of each other.

In February 2009, Angie and Ronnie Brown were thrilled to find out they were pregnant with their third child. Angie had routine pregnancies with her first two daughters, so she had no reason to believe this would be different, other than the fact that she would be a high-risk OB-GYN due to advanced maternal age -- she would be 35 when she delivered the child. Angie jokingly referred to this doctor as her geriatric OB-GYN.

Angie scheduled her 23-week appointment with her regular OB-GYN. Just a couple of days before the appointment, she felt a tender lump in her right breast that was not normal. She thought it could be a clogged mammary duct. She had experienced that with her other daughters, but not during pregnancy. While in the appointment she casually mentioned it to the nurse practitioner, who thought it could be an abscess and prescribed an antibiotic. She sent Angie for an ultrasound to be sure. The radiologist said it was not an abscess but likely a fibroid adenoma (non-cancerous mass). She would have to have it biopsied.

On June 26, 2009, Angie went for her biopsy. Things were starting to get a little scary, but Angie and Ronnie were advised that it was just precautionary. 

Then on June 30, the Browns met with her surgeon, Dr. Brian Shouse, to get the results of the biopsy. It's cancer, he told them.

Those two words forever changed the course of their lives, and the lives of everyone who loves them. The surgeon, Angie said, looked as if he were about to cry along with them.

Questions raced through their minds. What was next? What about the baby? Angie, at 24 weeks pregnant, would meet with an oncologist, who would help them decide a course of treatment.

Dr. Shouse dialed several numbers at the University of Kentucky's Markey Cancer Center to schedule an appointment as soon as possible, and with his persistence she had an appointment two days later -- the longest two days of her life, she said. At UK the Browns would create a plan, and once that was in the works, Angie could begin to focus.

The first plan was to pray and get everyone praying; thus began Angie's Fan Club, a prayer circle that surrounded the globe.

Angie found in her research that 1 in 3,000 pregnant women would develop breast cancer. She also found out that she could possibly have chemo while pregnant without adverse effects to her unborn daughter. Equipped with what knowledge she could find on the Internet, Angie and Ronnie met with Dr. Edward Ramond and Dr. Patrick McGrath, oncologists with Markey Cancer Center. Angie had a 3 cm (half-dollar size) malignant tumor. She was diagnosed with triple-negative breast cancer, an aggressive form of cancer.

A plan was devised. Angie would begin chemotherapy on July 6 -- just 13 days after she told the doctor she felt a sore spot on her breast. Chemo would continue one time every 3 weeks until Baby Charlie (as she was nicknamed) was born, then she would have three more rounds every two weeks. Now Angie could focus on her healing.

To know Angie is to know she is a very spiritual person. Church is a huge part of her and her family's lives. She has taught 4-year-old Sunday school for many years and rarely misses a Sunday at Shelbyville First Baptist Church. A dear friend at church arranged for meals to be brought to the family every other day from the start of chemo until treatment ended. Cards began to come in from people all over the church. Words of encouragement and well wishes -- and lots and lots of prayers -- gave Angie and her family the comfort they needed to endure this long and tiring battle. The church and friends -- like members of Girl Scout Troop 62 -- have pulled together to support her and her family in every way possible. People offered to baby-sit the girls, offered rides to treatments and offered to pray. Many who had lost someone or had a family member battling cancer were ready to help in any way imaginable. They all became members of Angie's Fan Club.

There were club members all over the world. People as far away as Australia were praying for Angie and Baby Charlie. It was an incredible ripple effect; one person would pass it to 10 of their prayer warrior friends who would each pass it to 10 of their prayer warrior friends. People were e-mailing back for updates, and the updates were promising.

Angie endured three rounds of a chemo cocktail while pregnant with Baby Charlie. Angie and Ronnie spent a majority of their days either going to appointments or waiting for test results. Her doctors continued to monitor the baby's growth and progress. Everyone continued to help in every way possible. Prayers went out each step of the way.

She went through chemo like a warrior, not complaining about her treatments. She experienced the normal fatigue and hair loss. Losing her hair was, as she put it, "an in-your-face reminder that you have cancer, that you are sick, that something is wrong with you." They lived their lives as normally as possible -- they had two daughters that needed their love and attention, and they had a new baby on the way.

As the weeks went on, the Browns anxiously awaited the arrival of their miracle baby. Induction was scheduled at 34 weeks to allow Angie to more aggressively continue her treatment. After a very long labor, Corra Faith Brown was born on 09/09/09. Weighing in at 6 pounds, 5 ounces, and 19 inches long, she was a good size for a baby born six weeks early. Corra Faith came home on Sept. 23 after two weeks in the NICU due to normal preemie issues, to finally meet her two older sisters, who showered her with hugs and kisses.

When the oncologist examined Angie on Sept. 11, he said the words everyone was waiting to hear: the mass felt like normal mammary tissue, and if it weren't for the biopsy scar, he would not be able to find the mass! Praise GOD!

Angie had two more rounds of chemo and then a lumpectomy to remove the remaining tissue. During this surgery three lymph nodes were also removed. All the nodes were clear of cancer and only a few cancer cells were found in the biopsy area. Again praise GOD! After much consultation it was decided that she would continue with 12 more weekly rounds of another chemo drug since it could not be given to her while she was pregnant. Seven weeks of daily radiation therapy would follow.

Angie continues to teach Sunday school and care for her daughters as normal. She and her husband have been blessed with healthy children and a wonderful outlook on their situation. She admits she has had breakdowns, moments of self-pity, but with six little eyes looking at you, relying on you, she has no choice but to carry on. The Browns have stood by each other and leaned on others when needed. They have fought this battle with dignity and grace. They continue to fight with the peace that God is with them every step of the way.