Abby Blum with her husband Brian
Westchester Mother of Two Tells Her Story
By Bonnie Fuller
Abby Blum, 37, Had to Make an Impossible Choice & Now She Fights for Other Women to Have Reproductive Choices.
Abby, who lives in Westchester, explains, “My husband Brian and I were super excited when I found out that I was pregnant with our third child. I had taken a drugstore pregnancy test because I was already starting to feel nauseous and sure enough, it turned positive.
“My two little girls were three and five at the time and when I went to see my OBGYN, she took routine blood work and then did an ultrasound. She told me that my baby looked great.
“But later that evening, I was surprised when I got a frantic call from my OBGYN. She told me that my white blood cells were extremely high.
“I replied that I didn’t know what that meant and she said: “I think you have leukemia. I want you to come in to see our oncology department tomorrow morning for more blood tests and bring your husband.”
“I was in complete shock. That night, I barely slept.
“But I decided to go for the extra blood tests the next morning by myself because I’m a strong independent woman and I remember thinking, ‘why do I need to have my husband here with me for blood tests’.
“A local oncologist had also arranged for me to have a bone marrow biopsy later that day, so Brian did come with me for that test.
“Before doing the procedure the oncologist explained that he believed I had CML – chronic myeloid leukemia – and that there was a great drug available to treat it called Gleevec. Patients who took it would have the same life expectancy as someone who had never had the cancer.
“He said that the majority of patients responded beautifully and taking Gleevec daily meant I would live a normal life.
“However, the problem was that I was pregnant. It would not be safe at this early stage in my pregnancy for the fetus if I took this medication. Potentially, I could take Gleevec after 20 weeks of pregnancy but I was only at 8 and a half weeks.
“The oncologist said that there was an alternative form of immunotherapy treatment that would be safer for my baby which we could try in order to keep the CML in check until I reached 20 weeks of pregnancy.
“I very much- wanted this baby and the bone marrow biopsy confirmed that I did in fact have CML so I met with a maternal-fetal medicine doctor at New York Cornell Hospital in NYC a few days later.
“She was supportive of me doing everything I could to keep my pregnancy and reassured me that the leukemia itself would not hurt my baby. My husband and I decided that I would use the immunotherapy treatment which involved giving myself injections every day.
“I spent the next month in bed, super nauseous, tired and losing weight. I was having headaches every day and daily blood tests showed my white blood count continuing to soar.
“I arranged to see another leukemia specialist at Memorial Sloane Kettering Hospital in NYC for a second opinion but while I was there she insisted that I needed to be hospitalized.
“We need to monitor you and we need to do a CT scan. We need to make sure that you don’t have a brain bleed,” she said. “You could have a stroke. It’s not safe for you with your high white cell count to be walking around.” She sent me over to New York Cornell Hospital to get admitted immediately.
“My husband and I were stunned. We had expected to be away from home for a two hour appointment and suddenly we had to worry about who would take care of our kids. How long would I have to stay in the hospital?
“Luckily, my brother and sister-in-law live close by and were able to be with our girls overnight, while my parents took over the next morning. Having family was everything at that time.
“During my hospital stay, my oncologist told me that it was no longer safe for me to continue my pregnancy. My older sister and I had a long talk about what would happen to my girls if something happened to me while I was trying to save my unborn child. If I wasn’t there for my kids, how would they be OK?
“It felt like an impossible choice but I decided to go ahead and have an abortion so I could start the treatment I needed to save my life. I had made it to just shy of 12 weeks.
“For me, the abortion was a medical necessity. And in hindsight I realized that in the post Roe V Wade era, I was lucky to be in a state where I had access to it and all the healthcare that I needed.
“If I had lived in a state like Texas which bans abortion from conception., my story would have had a very different ending. I didn’t choose to get cancer and to have to make the decision to get an abortion but that’s what happens in life and I want other women to be able to make that choice if they need or want to.
“My parents have always been activists for women’s rights. So that’s something that I’ve always cared about. And having two sisters and now daughters, it’s impossible not to want to give your children a country where they have just as many rights as you did.
“Because of this and my experience with CML I feel passionate about sharing my story and the necessity of abortion access. A few months after my diagnosis I was connected to the Harris presidential campaign.
“Her staff explained how important reproductive rights were to her and to this election. I agreed to begin speaking at Harris campaign events.
“My first was with the Second Gentleman, Doug Emhoff, in New Hampshire. I’m not a public speaker and my heart was racing but the Harris staff were so encouraging, that they made me feel brave.
“I wanted voters to understand that abortion is healthcare. It is a fundamental right and it affects everyone – not just women. It affects a whole family. It saved my family.
“A year after my diagnosis I was flown with my older daughter, now 6, to Houston for a rally for Vice President Harris and we both met Kamala. She was so genuine and caring.
“I have always feared that Donald Trump would try to ban abortion all across the country, including here in New York and Westchester. Now he is implementing everything in Project 2025 and that plan includes specific ways to end abortion nationwide.
“My twin sister lives in Austin, Texas but she has decided after what happened to me that she will move to Colorado.
“She realizes that if something happened to her there, she wouldn’t be able to get an abortion. She also doesn’t want to live in a state that doesn’t believe that women should have the same rights as others.
“Today, I am 37 and have almost reached full remission of my CML. I feel like myself again and am continuing to be both a mom and a reproductive rights activist. Women across the country need to be able to make their own reproductive choices again – we deserve better!”
Bonnie Fuller is the former CEO & Editor-in-Chief of HollywoodLife.com, and the former Editor-in-Chief of Glamour, Cosmopolitan, Marie Claire, USWeekly and YM. She is on the Action Fund Board of Planned Parenthood Hudson Peconic and can be followed on her Substack at: https://bonniefuller.substack.com/
