Dolly Chhabria (37) found out in August 2023 that she and her husband Kumar Ekansh (37) are expecting their first child. But the very next month, a standard test revealed abnormal DNA and the doctor indicated that she had a 50 percent chance of cancer, writes The mother-to-be underwent non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT), which analyzes fetal DNA in the mother’s blood to assess the risk of chromosomal disorders.
A magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the whole body brought another unexpected shock when tumor deposits were discovered above her heart and deep in the collarbone area. A biopsy confirmed that Dolly had a rare and aggressive form of cancer – lymphoma gray zone. The doctors informed her that she cannot start the treatment until she gives birth. Therefore, Dolly had to prepare for a risky pregnancy, while fear for the life of her child exerted enormous psychological pressure on her.
“I thought only one of us would survive, and if there was a choice, I would save the child,” she confided. On March 25, 2024, the couple welcomed a daughter, Edha, who was born at 37 weeks, weighing 2.5 kg. Just a week and a half after giving birth, Dolly began intensive chemotherapy, and tests halfway through the treatment gave hope that the treatment was working. Unfortunately, she had a scan in October 2024 which showed the cancer had spread to her neck.
In November 2024, she started a three-month immunotherapy. It turned out to be promising. She subsequently underwent a stem cell transplant along with high-dose chemotherapy, which replaced the damaged blood-forming cells with healthy ones. In April 2025, she underwent a scan that showed she was in remission, and currently undergoes CT scans every three months to monitor her condition.
“The treatment saved my life but it took a lot out of me. I lost over 20 kilos and lost a significant amount of muscle mass. The function of my heart has deteriorated and my thyroid gland is no longer working properly,” she described. To manage the cost of treatment, she launched a GoFundMe campaign to raise the necessary support.
