‘My son saved my life and that is a pretty big deal’

She may not have found the cancer if it hadn’t been for her pregnancy.

By TJ Banes, IU Health Senior Journalist, tfender1@iuhealth.org

Mooresville resident Jordan Reid was nine months pregnant with her second child when her water broke two days before a scheduled C-section. While she was in labor, doctors discovered a bump in her cervix. A biopsy followed, and Reid learned she has cervical cancer. It was Sept. 3, 2021.

Reid was married Nov. 28, 2015. Her husband is also named Jordan and family members refer to his wife as, “Jordan Rae” or “Jo-Joe.” The couple welcomed their first child, a girl, six years ago.

“There were no issues during the first pregnancy. My son saved my life, so everything I do, is for them,” said Reid. As she told her story, she was undergoing infusion treatments at IU Health Simon Cancer Center. She wore ice packs over her eyes, because the drug pumping through her veins constricts the blood vessels in her eyes.

“It’s a new drug, but it’s working,” said Reid, 35.

After her diagnosis, she started radiation on Nov. 29, 2021. She underwent 25 external radiation treatments, five chemotherapy treatments, and five internal radiation treatments. Then there was no evidence of cancer. But in November 2023, a routine scan showed cancer on her kidney. A biopsy confirmed a reoccurrence of cervical cancer and Reid started chemotherapy and immunotherapy. A year later, immunotherapy was no longer working, and another spot was found. She went to another hospital for a second opinion where she was advised to have TPE surgery (total pelvic exenteration). The complex surgery involves removing organs from urinary, gastrointestinal, and reproductive systems to treat the cancer.

“In January 2025 I went in for surgery and my pelvis was like a big bowl and the tumor was like a handle. They couldn’t remove it to get clear margins, so we opted to stop surgery and do another round of chemotherapy,” said Reid.

As she talks, Reid remains upbeat, expressing gratitude to her doctor at IU Health, oncologist Dr. Sharon Robertson. Her mother-in-law accompanied her to treatment and said, “Jordan Rae is very giving. She is the first to help others – whether it’s organizing a meal train for someone who is sick or making gift bags for a party.”

Reid grew up in Avon. After graduation she earned a bachelor’s degree from IUPUI and worked as a sign language interpreter for 12 years. During her treatments, she brings along a little mascot – an “emotional support dill pickle” given to her by a friend.

“I love pickles and this a big dill/deal for me,” said Reid. “My children are the love of my life so that’s my focus right now.”