Shelby’s Story: A Young Mother’s Cancer Journey Offers Warning For Others

The first time Shelby Martin spoke with News On 6, she was 29 years old. She had Stage 4 triple negative breast cancer and it was spreading.

She had two daughters under the age of 10 who needed her, so giving up was not an option.

“Whenever I see my babies smile or they laugh, God, that is why I am still here,” Shelby said.

Sadly, Shelby passed away in May of 2021, but wanted her story to be told, in the hopes that other young women would recognize the important warning.

Shelby's cancer journey started when she was 27. She a found a lump in her right breast that kept growing. She waited to get it checked out because she didn't have insurance. By the time she went to the doctor, and the biopsy results came back, she was Stage 3.

“She was, give or take, six months pregnant when I first met her and had been diagnosed with a relatively locally-advanced triple negative breast cancer which means that she did not have the eligibility for non-chemotherapy treatments like hormone therapy and receptor targeted therapy," said Dr. Laura Kyle Brett, an oncologist and hematologist.

Shelby had to go through chemotherapy while pregnant.

"I was going to have my last baby the way I wanted, everything was going to be great and nothing happened the way I planned,” Shelby said.

Her second child, Emorie, was born, making Shelby’s daughter Averi a big sister and giving Shelby another reason to fight.

“But she is here, and she is healthy, so I guess it did happen the way I wanted,” Shelby said.

Unfortunately, the cancer was growing.

"We found the new nodules that showed she had developed metastatic disease which is at that point incurable, something we can treat for a period of time but something that we no longer cure," said Dr. Brett.”

"Everything I do is for her and her sister and I will try everything possible, I will fight until there is nothing left for them because they deserve that," Shelby said.

Though the cancer continued to spread, Shelby hoped her story might prevent this from happening to someone else.

"If I could just make it all go away I would. If I could stop another mom from going through this or another young woman, I would take that too," Shelby said.

“We are supposed to be objective, we are supposed to be scientific about our care that we provide to her but she is a human being in front of us, she is our friend, we love her," Dr. Brett said.

Despite her strength and determination, Shelby died from cancer on May 13, 2021. She was just 29 years old.

News On 6 shares her story in the hopes of helping other young women.

If I have just a little bit of time left, I would rather really enjoy it, you know, cherish every moment,” Shelby said. “I am a lot stronger than I realized.”