A Chicago woman’s persistent cough led to a shocking medical discovery just weeks before giving birth.
MaKenna Lauterbach, then 26, started experiencing severe coughing symptoms in her last trimester of pregnancy.
“The symptoms were so severe, I would be breathless and nauseous to the point of vomiting,” she told Fox News Digital.
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Lauterbach, who lives on a farm in Washburn, Illinois, also began noticing shortness of breath while caring for horses and goats.
“I would feed the horses hay every morning and then I would find myself wheezing and having a dry cough,” she said. “My body feels like I just ran two miles, when in fact, I just walked to the barn and back again.”
MaKenna Lauterbach, pictured with husband Parker and newborn Colter, was diagnosed with stage 3 melanoma. (Northwestern Medicine)
She said some doctors ignored Lauterbach’s symptoms and repeatedly told her, “It’s because you’re pregnant.”
But eventually, when the coughing led to vomiting, doctors ran a scan and discovered a huge grapefruit-sized tumor in her mid-chest cavity and right lung that completely blocked an artery to her right lung.
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“It is extremely rare for this type of tumor to invade the heart’s major blood vessels,” Chris Mehta, MD, a cardiac surgeon at Northwestern Medicine’s Broome Cardiovascular Institute who specializes in complex cardiac reconstruction, said in a press release .
“It is extremely rare for this type of tumor to invade the heart’s major blood vessels.”
“We see something like this maybe once every few years.”
The tumor left Lauterbach and her children struggling to breathe.
“There’s real trouble”
Lauterbach was flown to Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago, where a large medical team was waiting for her.
“MaKenna is in real trouble, and we have to act quickly — this can’t wait until Monday morning,” Lynn Yee, MD, a maternal-fetal medicine specialist at Northwestern Medicine, said in the release.
Although little Curt was born three weeks premature, he is now a thriving, happy baby boy. “For myself, I’m still recovering emotionally and physically,” Lauterbach said. (Makenna Lauterbach)
“When you’re carrying a baby near term, your lungs are no longer able to function fully, and when you add a huge tumor to the lungs, you’re at risk for respiratory failure and cardiac arrest.”
The baby wasn’t tolerating the contractions well, and Lauterbach’s blood pressure dropped dramatically.
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The team performed an emergency caesarean section and on Easter Sunday a healthy baby boy, Colten, was born.
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After delivery, it’s time to address the tumor.
Kalvin Lung, MD, a thoracic surgeon at Northwestern Medicine’s Canning Thoracic Institute, said: “The tumor was located on top of Makenna’s heart and extended into the right lung, affecting all three lobes and the entire main pulmonary artery. .
Doctors performed a biopsy and diagnosed Lauterbach with stage 3 melanoma.
The Lauterbach family lived on a farm in Washburn, Illinois. MaKenna Lauterbach first developed a severe cough and shortness of breath while caring for horses and goats. (Makenna Lauterbach)
Doctors believe she may have developed melanoma on her skin at some point, and “one or two cells escaped” and started growing inside her body.
“This was really surprising news,” Lauterbach told Fox Digital News. “When I first got the diagnosis, it was a rollercoaster of emotions.”
“I was grieving the birth plan I had spent months preparing for while also coping with the news of my unexpected diagnosis.”
After feeling relief for the first time after getting answers, she said she felt a little angry that her symptoms had been dismissed earlier. Then there’s the fear of cancer itself.
“Because of the tumor, labor happened so quickly. I was grieving the birth plan I had spent months preparing for while also dealing with the news of my unexpected diagnosis,” she said.
“My case is serious, and while my clinical team is working on a plan to treat my cancer, I learned that the NICU nurse [at Northwestern] We take very good care of our son.
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The Northwestern team recommended Lauterbach receive three cycles of immunotherapy before surgery, which helped shrink her tumors by 30 percent.
Pulmonologists and Dr. Mehta removed Lauterbach’s entire right lung, part of the main pulmonary artery, and lymph nodes.
The picture shows the Lauterbach family, from left to right, Dr. Kalvin Lung, registered nurse Mary Schuessler and Dr. Lynn Yee. (Northwestern Medicine)
“Because of the need for cardiopulmonary bypass and the need to repair the aorta to both lungs, the surgery is risky relative to other cancer surgeries, but it is performed under very safe conditions and uses well-tested methods. Proven technology,” Dr. Long told us. Fox News Numbers.
“We were concerned that even with extensive surgery, we wouldn’t be able to completely remove the tumor,” he continued.
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If the tumor grows slightly into the aorta leading to the lungs, or involves the heart, the outcome will be different.
But the surgery was successful, and Lauterbach’s latest scans showed no evidence of metastatic melanoma.
Kurt Lauterbach poses with Santa before his first Christmas. (Makenna Lauterbach)
“Her results were excellent,” Dr. Long told Fox News Digital. “She has almost fully recovered from the surgery and her main problem is shortness of breath, which is a result of having only one lung.”
“As far as cancer prognosis goes, we expected it to be pretty good considering the entire tumor responded to the immunotherapy she received.”
“New Normal”
Today, little Curt Lauterbach is a thriving, happy baby boy, even though he was born three weeks premature.
“For myself, I’m still recovering emotionally and physically,” Makenna Lauterbach said. “My lung capacity is close to the ‘new normal,’ and I’m finally starting to get back to some sort of normal routine.”
“Sometimes, bad memories and unknown things linger in my mind.”
Going forward, Lauterbach will continue immunotherapy for another year, and doctors will continue to monitor CT scans to make sure the cancer doesn’t come back.
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Doctors said her cancer is now considered a “stable disease,” meaning there are no new tumors.
The new mother, who turns 27 in October, said she was looking forward to her son’s first Christmas on the farm.
MaKenna and Parker Lauterbach pose with their son Colter, who was born via emergency C-section. (Makenna Lauterbach)
“Emotionally, I try not to let reality overwhelm me, but sometimes, bad memories and unknown things bother me,” she said.
“Colter and my wonderful husband, Parker, have given me the strength to overcome everything.”
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For other women, Lauterbach stresses the importance of “knowing your body.”
She advises, “If you know something is wrong, don’t take ‘I don’t know’ as an answer. Find someone who will take your concerns seriously and would rather do extra testing just in case than miss the opportunity.” Something life-threatening.
