A woman named Azzurra Carnelos passed away after deciding to stop the chemotherapy for her breast cancer treatment to give birth to her son.
In 2019, Azzurra received the devastating news that she had breast cancer after a “premonitory” dream had prompted her to get a check-up. In her dream, her grandmother, Nori, who died from this form of cancer, suggested she go to the doctor for a mammogram.
- Azzurra Carnelos passed away at 33 after stopping chemotherapy to protect her baby's health.
- Azzurra was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2019 after a "premonitory dream" prompted her to get a check-up.
- Despite medical efforts, Azzurra's cancer advanced too far, leading to her passing in April.
Following her diagnosis, the Italian woman started undergoing chemotherapy.
At the time, the treatment proved successful, and Azzurra was put in remission.
Azzurra Carnelos, a woman who stopped her chemotherapy treatment to protect her baby, has passed away at 33
Image credits: stock.adobe.com
She and her husband, Francesco Favero, shared the dream of forming a family. Their wish came true in 2022 when Azzurra learned she was expecting a baby.
Sadly, after another medical examination, the senior financial analyst discovered, the following year, that the cancer had returned, this time with a more aggressive nature.
She was then faced with a heartbreaking decision: continue with the treatment that would put her baby’s health at risk or stop it and risk her own life. Azzurra decided on the latter option and suspended her chemotherapy at her 32nd week of pregnancy.
“She was only given drugs that did not harm the fetus, but then she had to stop those too,” Francesco, who gave up his job to be alongside his wife during her last days at the hospital, told La Repubblica.
After successfully undergoing chemotherapy in 2019, Azzurra faced the devastating news of her cancer coming back four years later during her pregnancy
Image credits: Azzurra Carnelos/LinkedIn
She had to choose between continuing the treatment that would put her baby’s health at risk or stop it and risk her own life
Image credits: Fabrizio Carnelos
Doctors from the neonatology service of the Ca’ Foncello hospital in Treviso had advised her to bring the birth of her baby forward so she could resume treatment as soon as possible.
According to CancerResearchUK, chemotherapy should stop 3-4 weeks before delivery. This is because the treatment can lower a patient’s white blood cell counts, which can increase the risk of infection in both the mother and the baby around the time of delivery.
“She was happy like this, despite everything. With her sacrifice, she gave us life,” Azzurra’s husband, Francesco Favero, said
Image credits: Fabrizio Carnelos
Azzurra gave birth to Antonio in August 2023.
Unfortunately, despite the medical efforts, her cancer had progressed too far for the treatment to be effective.
On Saturday (April 13), she passed away in her home in Oderzo, Italy, at 33 years old. Her funeral was held on Thursday (April 18) at Oderzo Cathedral.
“She faced every moment with courage and conviction. I still remember her smile when our baby started saying ‘mommy.’ She was happy like this, despite everything. With her sacrifice, she gave us life,” Azzurra’s husband said.
People commented on Azzurra’s “beautiful and selfless” act
I don’t think this is heartwarming at all. Nor (I will get downvoted for this I am sure) do I think it is sensible.
Everybody weighs risks and consequences differently.... My weighing system seems to go in the same direction as yours. Wishing no "your mum died for you"- effect to the child.
Load More Replies...Let's all take a moment to let the realization dawn that in many states in the USA the mother wouldn't even have a choice. Fetus > mother. Otherwise, although this is a sad story, I don't really see that a choice was made. The woman was going to perish regardless, she was on chemo till 32 weeks.
As a nurse I have known this situation, but unfortunately she didn't last long enough to go to term, so both were lost.
As a radiation therapist I've seen this as well. I have treated pregnant women and tried everything to spare the baby. I've had women who ended pregnancies in order to get the best treatment. And lastly I have treated children who got cancer as a result of the mother having undergone chemo and/ or radiation therapy while pregnant. Any way you go you loose. To me this situation ist just sad 😢
Load More Replies...I wonder what her prognosis was before she stopped the chemo, since the recurrence was a more aggressive form. If it was just a palliative measure or she was looking at a poor outcome even with the chemo, then it would make sense that she would want to use what was left of her life to do something she always wanted to do. Chemo is not always a cure, and often just buys someone an extra year (if that). Either way, it was her choice and she was at peace with it.
Almost certainly this, given the circumstances described above. Although it's nott stated explicitly because that would make boring copy and no engagement.
Load More Replies...Throwing away a person for a possible person sounds like just the sort of logic suicidal brain comes up with. Why there are others enabling and even celebrating this is beyond me.
Yep. Let’s stop romanticizing women dying, period.
Load More Replies...I grew up in the southern US and took care of a lot of animals. I was raised to believe that the mother's life was more important than a baby that might not even make it. I do not find this story to be sweet or heartwarming. It was her choice of course, but not one that I would have made.
Not heart warming. Stupid. Everyone loses--husband loses a wife, child loses a mother, mother loses her life. Not what I'd pick in this situation.
I would rather not have been born, than live knowing I had lost a loving mother who sacrificed her life for my birth. I do not believe my existence would matter at that stage, as I did not care about my life before I was born at all.
This sounds much more like risky behaviour/suicidality than bravery Everyone with a serious illness goes through that, and with all the people fussing over her bravery, no wonder that tipped the scales. You can always have another potential child, you threw away an actual life. On the other hand it sounds like she was happy to be a martyr so she probably would have been a mom with a martyr complex, I still don't think she should have died for it, but tough to be raised by someone like that too.
Wow. This poor woman fought cancer, chose to make sure her child would have a life, even when it meant she most certainly wouldn't, and here you are judging her character. You don't know s**t about this woman, but here you are saying she has some martyr complex. No matter what this woman chose to do, I support her ability and right to make her own choice. Women get judged no matter what choices they make. Damn.
Load More Replies...This is not a success story. Speaking as a medical professional, there were options not taken.
Yeah, some people think there's nothing more heroic a woman can do but die for their child. Now that kid doesn't have a mother, but I guess the husband will get some other woman to do the grunt work of raising him.
Why would you post this? Is there something wrong with you?
Load More Replies...OMG! This is the future tRump wants! SHE SHOULD HAVE ABORTED THE BABY! 🤦♀️ That poor kid will feel guilty his entire fúcking life! Why didn’t they adopt a child? 🤷🏼♀️
Pro choice means all options, not just abortion.
Load More Replies...Doctors should not have given her a choice, and instead continued to save her life. The fetus could have been induced as it was 32 weeks.
This is ridiculous. Women get to make their own choices. That's what pro-choice means.
Load More Replies...This happened to my ex wife's sister. She was strict Catholic and a wonderful person. She became pregnant then discovered breast cancer. Would not take chemo because of the baby. She died a few weeks after her autistic son was born.
To be honest, this was 30 years ago. I had NO input on the couple or their decision. Stop trying to be "holier than thou".
Load More Replies...Would you change your mind if you knew her diagnosis was terminal, the chemo was palliative and expected to extend her life for six months to a year? In that case should the child that both parents want be constructively killed to extend the mother's life by six months? Is it better to face your certain death six months sooner and have a piece of you live on. Questions I hope none of us have to face. But it's Her Choice.
It's my choice not to walk into traffic. We always have a choice, that doesn't make it brave.
Load More Replies...This is like the 2nd momma to die for her baby this week. What is happening. Edit: the second one on BP
Holy hell this comment section is *vile*. This website has become meaner than twitter and more extremist than Tik Tok. Farewell Bored Panda, you dug your own grave.
This amounts to suicide, which most people are against. No one is arguing it was an illegal course of action, everyone is debating if she should be called brave for the choice she made. Her body her choice doesn't mean I don't think she's an idiot, just that I don't think she should legally be required to make a good choice.
Load More Replies...I don’t think this is heartwarming at all. Nor (I will get downvoted for this I am sure) do I think it is sensible.
Everybody weighs risks and consequences differently.... My weighing system seems to go in the same direction as yours. Wishing no "your mum died for you"- effect to the child.
Load More Replies...Let's all take a moment to let the realization dawn that in many states in the USA the mother wouldn't even have a choice. Fetus > mother. Otherwise, although this is a sad story, I don't really see that a choice was made. The woman was going to perish regardless, she was on chemo till 32 weeks.
As a nurse I have known this situation, but unfortunately she didn't last long enough to go to term, so both were lost.
As a radiation therapist I've seen this as well. I have treated pregnant women and tried everything to spare the baby. I've had women who ended pregnancies in order to get the best treatment. And lastly I have treated children who got cancer as a result of the mother having undergone chemo and/ or radiation therapy while pregnant. Any way you go you loose. To me this situation ist just sad 😢
Load More Replies...I wonder what her prognosis was before she stopped the chemo, since the recurrence was a more aggressive form. If it was just a palliative measure or she was looking at a poor outcome even with the chemo, then it would make sense that she would want to use what was left of her life to do something she always wanted to do. Chemo is not always a cure, and often just buys someone an extra year (if that). Either way, it was her choice and she was at peace with it.
Almost certainly this, given the circumstances described above. Although it's nott stated explicitly because that would make boring copy and no engagement.
Load More Replies...Throwing away a person for a possible person sounds like just the sort of logic suicidal brain comes up with. Why there are others enabling and even celebrating this is beyond me.
Yep. Let’s stop romanticizing women dying, period.
Load More Replies...I grew up in the southern US and took care of a lot of animals. I was raised to believe that the mother's life was more important than a baby that might not even make it. I do not find this story to be sweet or heartwarming. It was her choice of course, but not one that I would have made.
Not heart warming. Stupid. Everyone loses--husband loses a wife, child loses a mother, mother loses her life. Not what I'd pick in this situation.
I would rather not have been born, than live knowing I had lost a loving mother who sacrificed her life for my birth. I do not believe my existence would matter at that stage, as I did not care about my life before I was born at all.
This sounds much more like risky behaviour/suicidality than bravery Everyone with a serious illness goes through that, and with all the people fussing over her bravery, no wonder that tipped the scales. You can always have another potential child, you threw away an actual life. On the other hand it sounds like she was happy to be a martyr so she probably would have been a mom with a martyr complex, I still don't think she should have died for it, but tough to be raised by someone like that too.
Wow. This poor woman fought cancer, chose to make sure her child would have a life, even when it meant she most certainly wouldn't, and here you are judging her character. You don't know s**t about this woman, but here you are saying she has some martyr complex. No matter what this woman chose to do, I support her ability and right to make her own choice. Women get judged no matter what choices they make. Damn.
Load More Replies...This is not a success story. Speaking as a medical professional, there were options not taken.
Yeah, some people think there's nothing more heroic a woman can do but die for their child. Now that kid doesn't have a mother, but I guess the husband will get some other woman to do the grunt work of raising him.
Why would you post this? Is there something wrong with you?
Load More Replies...OMG! This is the future tRump wants! SHE SHOULD HAVE ABORTED THE BABY! 🤦♀️ That poor kid will feel guilty his entire fúcking life! Why didn’t they adopt a child? 🤷🏼♀️
Pro choice means all options, not just abortion.
Load More Replies...Doctors should not have given her a choice, and instead continued to save her life. The fetus could have been induced as it was 32 weeks.
This is ridiculous. Women get to make their own choices. That's what pro-choice means.
Load More Replies...This happened to my ex wife's sister. She was strict Catholic and a wonderful person. She became pregnant then discovered breast cancer. Would not take chemo because of the baby. She died a few weeks after her autistic son was born.
To be honest, this was 30 years ago. I had NO input on the couple or their decision. Stop trying to be "holier than thou".
Load More Replies...Would you change your mind if you knew her diagnosis was terminal, the chemo was palliative and expected to extend her life for six months to a year? In that case should the child that both parents want be constructively killed to extend the mother's life by six months? Is it better to face your certain death six months sooner and have a piece of you live on. Questions I hope none of us have to face. But it's Her Choice.
It's my choice not to walk into traffic. We always have a choice, that doesn't make it brave.
Load More Replies...This is like the 2nd momma to die for her baby this week. What is happening. Edit: the second one on BP
Holy hell this comment section is *vile*. This website has become meaner than twitter and more extremist than Tik Tok. Farewell Bored Panda, you dug your own grave.
This amounts to suicide, which most people are against. No one is arguing it was an illegal course of action, everyone is debating if she should be called brave for the choice she made. Her body her choice doesn't mean I don't think she's an idiot, just that I don't think she should legally be required to make a good choice.
Load More Replies...
-9
134