A Mother’s Diagnosis

Stephanie Yuskis and her son, Jacob Brown in Hinsdale, Illinois

I am a 46-year-old single mother to my only son Jacob who is 20 years old. I've always had issues growing up (but NOT realizing anything was wrong with me). I have a bifid uvula, have hypermobility, pectus caved in, suffer from AFIB and SVT, and was suspected of having Marfans Syndrome since I was 20 years old. At that time, I was told I would not be able to safely carry a child (which was devastating). At the age of 26, I proved doctors wrong and gave birth to my greatest gift - my son Jacob!
My son and I were in and out of doctor offices his whole young life for my cardiac issues His mom being "sick" was normal to him and to me.
At age 42, I had been going to the gym regularly with my son and started to feel quite fatigued much earlier than normal, so I went to see a cardiologist that specialized in Marfan syndrome. It turned out that after an exam, extensive scans, and testing, they discovered an aortic aneurysm measuring 5.2cm and told me I would need immediate open heart surgery. I was trying to process this information and get my matters in order while scheduling my son’s school calendar when it was also discovered that I had Stage 3B Breast Cancer. I needed to have a bilateral mastectomy and chemotherapy right away.
After 4 different opinions at 4 different medical institutions, including MD Anderson and Northwestern, I underwent open heart surgery, followed by cancer surgery and therapy almost exactly 6 months apart.
My son and I have always had an extremely close relationship, especially since I was divorced from his father when he was only 7 years old, but after facing two possible death scares in the same year, now we are inseparable!
If it weren't for Jacob, I would not be alive today.  I live to watch him thrive and succeed and look forward to each day I am above ground. I happily tell my story to anyone willing to listen and to share my experiences with anyone it may help.