Woman 'Shocked' to Learn of Cancer Diagnosis Days Before Giving Birth: 'Not Something You Expect'

A 34-year-old mother in England learned that she had breast cancer shortly before giving birth to her first child.

Laura Hudson from Manchester received a diagnosis of stage 2, grade 3 breast cancer at 36 weeks pregnant in November 2023 after discovering a lump in her right breast, per a Thursday, Nov. 14 news release from The Christie NHS Foundation Trust in the U.K.

The expectant mom had the results confirmed after seeing a doctor and having a scan and biopsy, and was then booked in for an emergency cesarean section less than a week later, according to the release. She welcomed her daughter Aurora on Nov. 14, 2023. 

“When they told me that I had cancer, it completely floored me,” Hudson said, per the release. “...I was in a complete pregnancy bubble, preparing to become a mum for the first time, so had never really considered that it could be something so serious. My mind immediately went to Aurora and what would happen to her.”

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Hudson was told after first visiting a doctor about the lump that it was “most likely to do with pregnancy,” she told the BBC. When the lump got bigger, her doctor “sent off the request for further checks," she recalled to the outlet. 

Hudson told the BBC that she and her husband Sam were "so shocked because it's not something you expect, especially during pregnancy," and added that her "first thought was for my baby."

She welcomed her daughter Aurora safely at 37 weeks and had just three weeks to recover before starting chemotherapy at The Christie NHS Foundation Trust center in her home of Wigan in Wales. 

“Being a new mum is difficult enough, but having to go through cancer treatment on top of it was almost unbearable,” Laura told The Christie, per the press release.  

“...I couldn’t do as much as I wanted with Aurora, which was heartbreaking and at times made me feel like an inadequate mum but having her to come back to after a day at hospital helped me get through it. Whenever I was having a particularly tough moment, I’d focus on her.”

The mom of one thanked her husband and parents for their support through the ordeal, calling them “my rocks.” 

Laura had a mastectomy and breast reconstruction in April 2024 and 15 radiotherapy sessions, concluding her treatment in August. She is now cancer-free, per the release.

“My active treatment is finished now, and I couldn’t be happier,” she said, per the release. “I want to do everything I can to make sure it doesn’t come back," she said, adding that she is on medication and "having my other breast removed next year."

Hudson added, "We don’t know what this means for having more children in the future, but we are so lucky to have had Aurora — other women are not so lucky.”

Hudson and her husband recently celebrated their daughter's first birthday, with the mom of one telling the BBC that life with her baby girl is "amazing — she's made the last year worth going through."

"Laura is an inspirational woman,” said Laura's consultant at The Christie, Dr. Claire Kelly, per the release. “By sharing her story, she is raising awareness as well. A lump is not the only symptom of breast cancer, so it’s important that people check themselves regularly and know what’s normal for them.”