A pregnant Jillian O'Connor had a tough decision to make, four years ago; Give up her child and go through aggressive forms of chemotherapy, or keep the child and take the chance that her own life could be cut short.
Just a couple of months ago, O'Connor was able to celebrate her son Declan's third birthday.
She told Ottawa Today with Mark Sutcliffe that even though she has well surpassed the 2016 date which doctors thought she would never make it to, she hasn't been given a new prognosis.
"They don't know what I'm doing differently that is helping this, for reaching this longevity when I was only given two years, but I just hope it just keeps on going," she said.
O'Connor said there was never a question in her mind of whether or not she was going to give birth to her son three years ago. She was then able to take more aggressive forms of treatment for her brain and breast cancer after her pregnancy.
"I continue on with the treatments that I've recently been getting. I do my chemotherapy. I take my oral chemotherapy at home. I have a cyberknife injection and I'm currently on a trial for the bone cancer, therefore I give myself injections at home every 21 days," explained O'Connor. "I'm super-duper lucky to even be able to be here and getting to spend time with my children."
These days, the mother of three approaches each day not knowing what's next, but is keeping a positive outlook.
"You live your life to the fullest because you just never know when the end is coming, and everyone should be living their lives that way, whether they have a terminal illness or they don't," added O'Connor. "I think it's just so important to have a positive outlook on things, and just to make yourself happy every day that you can."
Listen to the full conversation with Jillian O'Connor:
