Woman, 28, Was Giving Birth to Her Second Baby When Midwives Made a Startling Discovery. Now, She Has Months to Live (Exclusive)

“I was really shocked. I had no symptoms at all,” she tells PEOPLE. “Every healthcare professional I met told me it was unlikely to be cancer because of my age and because I was healthy, so to get the diagnosis was very numbing.”

“I took a long time to come to terms with it. I also had a lot of questions as to why it was happening to me and why it was happening now, when I was so young and had just given birth,” adds Alex.

Alex underwent chemotherapy and radiation treatment, but her cancer still spread. She was eventually told that her illness had become terminal, and she was given six months to two years to live.

“I was really shocked and upset,” the mom of two recalls of getting her terminal diagnosis. “My first thought was, ‘How would the children cope without having a mom?’ My mind was racing with all the things I would have to put in place to make this process as easy as possible for them.”

“I also felt how unfair life could be. I was enjoying being a parent to two children, and this was being taken away from me,” she continues. “I didn’t understand how I could be so young and be given a terminal diagnosis. I felt I had so much I wanted to do in my life, and this was now being cut short.”

“I also felt very upset for my husband, as we haven’t had our honeymoon yet, and we had so much planned together. And now we are unable to do most of these things,” adds Alex.

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Alex is currently on her second cycle of chemotherapy. Navigating those treatments while being a wife and a mom to two young children, she tells PEOPLE, “has been really difficult.”

“Every day is different. Sometimes I have energy and can do a lot, other times I am so tired I just want to sleep,” she explains. “My parents have been amazing as we have moved in with them, and they are providing all the extra support. This has allowed me to spend as much time as possible with my children without worrying about other things like housework. I will forever be grateful for this.”

Alex says her children are what keep her moving forward amid her terminal cancer journey. “Without them, I don’t know how I would get through the treatment,” she says.

Adds Alex: “Every day, I fight a little bit more so that I can spend as much time with them and make as many memories as possible.”

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