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Despite the pneumonia, the chemotherapy, the scans and surgeries and cancer meds, the twins were both born healthy and strong. Like all parents, Venelina and Lindsay looked at their new son and daughter with awe.<\/p>\n
\u201cI call 2021 the happiest, crappiest year of my life,\u201d Venelina joked. \u201cYou have to have a little bit of humor.\u201d<\/p>\n
The pair are now home with their two-month-old twins, who are growing and developing well. So far, the medication has been a success. Scans show no new cancer growth, and the largest tumor in Venelina\u2019s lung has shrunk.<\/p>\n
She is thankful for Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina, her employer and health insurer, which pays for all but $5 of her $1,500-a-month lifesaving medication. Although her body will eventually build up a tolerance to the drug, the medicine is reducing her symptoms and allowing her to enjoy this time with her family.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you see me, no one could really tell, \u2018She has cancer. She\u2019s gone through all this,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Venelina and Lindsay at home with their newborn twins.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n
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They are joined by their two dogs, Pearl and Liffey.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n
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Of course, she does have cancer, and it\u2019s a reality she does not have the luxury to forget.<\/p>\n
Looking back on it all, she remembers thinking cancer only happened to older people, that lung cancer only happened if you smoked.<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought of myself as being invulnerable, really,\u201d she said. \u201cI was so active and so healthy that I just felt like nothing could touch me. I became pregnant on the first try of IUI. I was like, \u2018I\u2019m fertile! I\u2019m healthy. I\u2019m strong.\u2019 But this happened to me.\u201d<\/p>\n
She encourages other people, especially pregnant women, to be aware of their symptoms and to advocate for their care. She is grateful for Lindsay\u2019s steadfast support and the care she received from UNC Hospital doctors and nurses. She even counts some of those nurses as friends now.<\/p>\n
After a \u201chappy, crappy year,\u201d Venelina is enjoying every minute with her beautiful new family of four (seven, if you count the two dogs and the cat). As far as the future is concerned, Venelina looks forward to many big milestones ahead. She will continue to have scans every few months. She will continue to enjoy her new babies as they learn and grow every day. She will continue to experience the best and worst of life, all at once.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n