Nationwide — Ebony Ingram, an African American mother from North Carolina who was diagnosed with leukemia while 27 weeks pregnant, delivered her twins early and started cancer treatment. With strong support from her care team and family, she and her premature twins are now recovering together.Ebony Ingram’s life changed suddenly when doctors told her she had leukemia in mid-January during her pregnancy. She was rushed to Novant Health Forsyth Medical Center and admitted right away. To protect her health and her babies’, doctors decided to deliver the twins nearly 15 weeks early, according to WXII 12.
Dr. James Dugan, the clinical lead for stem cell therapy at Novant Health, explained that treating Ebony meant caring for three patients — the mother and her twins. He brought in multiple specialists, knowing that both Ebony and her babies needed close monitoring.
After delivery, Ebony began cancer treatment while her newborns were cared for in the NICU. The journey hasn’t been easy, but she says her doctors, nurses, and family helped her stay strong.
“Some days, it gets the best of me and I think ‘Oh my God, I can’t make it,’ but then I have my support team that supports me a lot and I just want to make it.” said Ingram. “Some days, it gets the best of me and I think ‘Oh my God, I can’t make it,’ but then I have my support team that supports me a lot and I just want to make it.”
Now home with her babies, Ebony continues the last months of treatment. She’s expected to make a full recovery.
“Everything that I experienced through this whole journey of being hospitalized just feels like a blessing because I wasn’t expecting to make it and I wasn’t expecting my twins to make it at all,” said Ingram. “I’m thankful for God allowing us to still be here today so I can be able to tell my story and still be able to go on with my journey.”