Love Is Blind’s Shaina Hurley suffered a “mini stroke” after the birth of her son, having been diagnosed with cancer when she was three months pregnant.
Hurley was a contestant on the second season of the reality show that sees people try to fall in love before seeing each other face-to-face. She got engaged to Kyle Abrams on the show, but they split after meeting each other’s families.
The reality star eventually met and married her husband and restaurant chain CEO Christos Lardakis. Together they welcomed their first child, a son named Yiorgos David, on February 1—but it wasn’t without complications. The 34-year-old reality star told People that she was diagnosed with stage 2 cervical cancer while she was pregnant and two weeks after she gave birth to her “miracle” baby, she had a mini stroke.
“I was feeding my son and my hands went numb and then it shot down the left side of my body. My face drooped, I wasn’t making sense,” she told the publication.
Thankfully, Hurley recovered with no serious side effects and underwent a cold knife conization, a surgical procedure that removes a cone-shaped piece of tissue from the cervix. Doctors had been pushing her to have the surgery for months but she had initially refused as it would “most likely” cause a miscarriage.
“The problem is, I was pregnant. [The] cervix is what holds pregnancy. I was at just around three months and so I would most likely lose the baby. At that point, I just couldn’t risk it,” Hurley explained.
Once her son was born, Hurley went ahead with the procedure but unfortunately, it was unsuccessful and the cancer was still there. She underwent another cold knife conization six weeks later and finally, it was good news. As of June, Hurley is cancer-free.
In a statement shared with Newsweek, Hurley opened up about her current health and shared advice to those going through something similar.
“Thank God I am healthy now. I’m really enjoying my baby and family! I love watching Christos be a dad and not taking these small moments for granted. [I’m] feeling so loved from all the support everyone has given me! If my experience will help anyone going through the same situation not to lose hope, it was all worth it,” she said.
“My advice to other moms is trust your mother instinct. It is so strong, always listen to it. That discernment is a gift from God. You know best when it comes to your child.”
Hurley found out she had stage 2 cervical cancer after a routine Pap smear came back with abnormal results. As Hurley had refused the cold knife conization when she was 22 weeks pregnant, the next course of action was a laparoscopic procedure, otherwise known as keyhole surgery, to make sure the cancer had not progressed to the lymph nodes.
It hadn’t spread, but the reality star said doctors were still wanting her to undergo chemotherapy.
“I still had no symptoms, so I did deny chemotherapy. It was hard for the doctors because I was their patient first. And I was a tough patient,” she told People.
Hurley also refused to deliver her son early at 32 weeks per her doctor’s suggestion, because she felt like it was too early, instead holding out until 37.5 weeks. This was . Her son was born healthy via C-section at this gestation.
Hurley is now concentrating on being a mother but has to have check-ups every three months. She intends to have more children in the future.