Stephanie, breast cancer survivor

“City of Hope saved me. They saved my baby. They saved my family portrait.”

Stephanie Hosford was a mother of one who was in process of adopting a daughter. But in September 2007, during the final stages of the adoption process, she felt a small lump in her left breast. One week later, she was told what no woman wants to hear — “You have breast cancer.”

Three days after that, Hosford discovered that she was pregnant. But what would normally be joyous news turned into a heartbreaking dilemma, as four cancer specialists advised Hosford to abort her pregnancy.

It was then that her husband, Grant, made one more appointment … at City of Hope.

There, Hosford met with I. Benjamin Paz, M.D., and Lucille Leong, M.D., who told her that the care team can treat Hosford during her pregnancy and that they can save both her and her baby.

Hosford underwent surgery and four rounds of chemotherapy. It was not an easy process (“I was bald and fat — not a look most women strive for,” she mused) but the treatments worked. Six months after the initial diagnosis, the Hosfords went to China to bring home their new daughter, Naomi. Two months after that, she gave birth to Samantha.

Hosford has remained cancer-free ever since, and recently rode on City of Hope’s Rose Parade float alongside other cancer survivors to celebrate their triumph over the disease.

“My family really is living proof that ‘Dreams Come True.’”