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A first-time mum revealed she was handed a rare and potentially deadly diagnosis after a routine pregnancy scan.

Dolly Chhabria, 37, found out she was expecting her first child with her husband, Kumar Ekansh, 37 in August 2023. But the following month a standard test detected abnormal DNA and a doctor indicated she had a 50% chance of cancer. The mum-to-be had a non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT) - which analyses foetal DNA in the mother's blood to assess the risk of chromosomal conditions. A full-body MRI led to more unexpected shock as masses were discovered above her heart and deep around her collarbone.

A biopsy, four months later, confirmed the cancer diagnosis but Dolly was unable to begin treatment until after giving birth.

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She welcomed her daughter, Edha, at 37 weeks on March 25, 2024, weighing 2.5kg, and began intensive chemotherapy just a week later. Further testing confirmed the mum had a rare form of cancer called Gray Zone Lymphoma - an aggressive B-cell lymphoma - and she underwent immunotherapy, stem cell transplants and high-dose chemotherapy.

Dolly, a stay-at-home mom, from Seattle, Washington, said: "I was supposed to be glowing and preparing a nursery, but instead I was living in terrifying limbo. It all came as such a shock. I was extremely scared.

"I was thinking that I might not be around to watch the baby I am carrying grow up. I thought that only one of us would survive, and if it came to a choice, I would have saved my baby."

After finding out they were expecting their first child, Dolly and Kumar, software engineer, said they were offered a routine genetic test. She underwent a Non-Invasive Prenatal Testing (NIPT) and was devastated when she found out she had a 50 percent chance of having cancer.

Dolly said: "We almost didn't take the test. It was an option for us to find out if our child could be born with a disability. We were so close to saying no, but I was 35 years old then, and this was my first pregnancy. We knew it was a late pregnancy and things could go wrong, so we decided to take the test."

Dolly then enrolled herself at the National Institutes of Health, where she had undergone a full-body MRI scan. The scan revealed abnormal masses suggestive of "some type" of lymphoma, and a further biopsy revealed she had cancer. Dolly was told that she could not undergo any treatment to kill the cancer while she was pregnant, but she started bridge therapy - a temporary, stabilizing treatment administered to cancer patients - to control the cancer's growth.

She said: "I was given reassurance, the doctor said the cancer would not spread too quickly. I felt horrible, I didn't want to put myself behind, and I didn't want to put my baby at risk. I was so unsure what the next steps would be. I was so worried that I might just have a few months to spend with my baby."

Just a week and a half after giving birth, Dolly started intensive chemotherapy, and mid-treatment scans showed promise that the treatment was working. Sadly in October 2024, the mum had a scan that showed the cancer spread to her neck, and a further biopsy revealed she had Gray Zone Lymphoma.

The mum said: "It's so uncommon that there are no large-scale clinical trials, no standardized treatment protocols, no clear roadmap to survival."

In November 2024, Dolly started three months of immunotherapy, which showed promise. She then underwent a stem cell transplant - a medical procedure that replaces damaged or destroyed blood-forming stem cells with healthy ones - with high-dose chemotherapy.

The following month, on April 30, 2025, Dolly had a scan showing that she was in remission and now undergoes CT scans every three months to monitor her condition. The 37-year-old added: "The treatments saved my life, but they've taken so much. I've lost over 45 pounds and significant muscle mass. My heart function has declined. My thyroid no longer works properly."

Dolly has launched a GoFundMe to help pay for her medical expenses from her cancer treatment, if you want to donate, click here.