121: Pregnant With Cancer: Emma’s Story of NICU, Chemotherapy, and Change
About this episode
Emma McGuinness shares her journey of battling Hodgkin’s lymphoma while pregnant and the impact on her family and maternity leave laws in Ireland.
When Emma McGuinness was pregnant with her second child, she discovered a swelling in her neck that turned out to be Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Her son was delivered at 36 weeks and spent his first 14 days in neonatal intensive care. Just weeks later, Emma began six months of chemotherapy while caring for a newborn. In this powerful episode, Emma shares the reality of navigating cancer during pregnancy, the emotional experience of having a baby in NICU, and how her own experience exposed a gap in Irish maternity leave legislation. That gap ultimately led to a national campaign and a change in the law. This episode is recorded in collaboration with Daffodil Day in support of the Irish Cancer Society. To donate check out www.cancer.ie You can find Emma's page here: https://www.instagram.com/a_little_link/ Proudly sponsored by: www.happytummy.ie Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
People in this episode
Hosts: Afif EL-Khuffash, Anne Doherty
Guest: Emma McGuinness
Topics covered
- cancer during pregnancy
- NICU experience
- maternity leave legislation
- chemotherapy
- emotional health
- advocacy
Keywords
- Hodgkin's lymphoma
- pregnancy
- neonatal intensive care
- chemotherapy
- maternity leave
- advocacy
- Irish legislation
Sponsors
Happy Tummy
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Irish Cancer Society, Daffodil Day
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