Yelena Trunzo, 33, was diagnosed with aggressive Acute Myeloid Leukemia at 29 weeks pregnant with her second child. The diagnosis came as a shock, and she faced difficulties in getting treatment due to the fear of delaying birth. However, being pregnant saved her life by allowing doctors to detect the leukemia early.
Despite the challenges, Trunzo received overwhelming kindness from those around her, including her mother, Natalie Kruglyak, who visited her daily at the hospital and brought fresh clothes and food. Her neighbors, colleagues, and even friends from high school contributed meals, gifts, and care during her recovery.
Trunzo’s husband, Francesco, traveled to Manhattan daily for meals and childcare, while Trunzo received IV chemotherapy treatments. After a premature birth, Trunzo is now in remission but must tackle additional rounds of chemotherapy while caring for her newborn son, Maximo Justin, and daughter, Adriana.
The family has been supported by the staff at Weill Cornell Medicine, who referred Trunzo to Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Despite being one of only a few pregnant patients treated with the condition, doctors credited pregnancy with detecting the leukemia early.
Source: https://www.silive.com/news/2025/05/pregnant-with-leukemia-staten-island-mom-shares-story-of-frightening-diagnosis.html