What was supposed to be one of the happiest times in her life, Gabrielle Mayer from Akron was diagnosed with thyroid cancer 30 weeks into her pregnancy.
"It was a pretty large mass. It was four centimeters," Mayer said.
At first, she said she thought her shortness of breath was due to her weight. Doctors even told her that losing weight may help.
"A lot of times doctors first thing will go, like 'you should lose a couple pounds,' Mayer said. "So I never really thought anything of it."
Mayer was then in a car crash, which led to imaging being done. That imaging uncovered a cancerous tumor.
She said it was a bit of relief after feeling like her health issues were all her fault.
"A lot of women with weight problems, you know, they blame themselves for a lot of the issues that they have and sometimes you just really need to pay attention to your body," Mayer said.
Her doctors at Cleveland Clinic said the surgery was risky, but it needed to be done.
"We're worried that as her pregnancy continues, she was going to potentially have even more problems at the time of delivery," Cleveland Clinic doctor Mark Horattas said.
Horattas said he helped "quarterback" Mayer's surgery to remove the cancer while working with other departments with the birth.
"You have to concerns that you need to be mindful of," Horattas said. "Not just your usual patient that you're operating on, but the baby and everyone else's viewpoints they all look at from a different perspective."
Now, the mom and dad are excited to start a new chapter with their baby boy.
"It kind of been like the worst year of my life, it's also been the best year of my life," Mayer said.
