Powerful Moment a Mom Battling Cancer Breastfeeds Her Baby

This photo of a mom with breast cancer and her newborn was shared more than 100,000 times on Facebook. (Photo: KTLA 5 News/Kate Murray Photography)

A powerful photo capturing a mother with breast cancer nursing her newborn son has gone viral.

Photographer Kate Murray posted the photo on her Facebook page on Friday, where it was shared more than 100,000 times and received thousands of comments, according to Fox-8 in Cleveland.  The Facebook page has since been taken down.

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In the original post, Murray, a Florida photographer, wrote: “Baby BOY was born ready to prove to the world his strength he inherited from his strong mommy. He latched on to her remaining breast all on his own and the room erupted in so many emotions. Breastfeeding is such a sacred bond, and this one just makes my heart break and swell at the same time. I am beyond blessed to have met and gotten to know this woman and her family, and so honored she asked me to be there to document these precious moments.”

The mother, who is unnamed in the post, was diagnosed with Stage 3 breast cancer in the middle of her pregnancy, according to Fox-8. She underwent chemotherapy and a left breast mastectomy, and was induced at 36 weeks.

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Comments poured in on the Facebook post, including this touching one from user Lindsay Portwood. “My mom had breast cancer when she was pregnant with me,” she wrote, according to Q13 Fox News. “She was undergoing chemo. By all rights I shouldn’t be alive. That was 17 years ago. She’s been free for that long.”

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