08:22 AM CDT on Thursday, August 25, 2005

By CHRISTINE HAAS / KVUE News

Marlenia Noelke would never have imagined an afternoon in the park with her healthy daughter grace and her son Robert.

Nearly four years ago, when Marlenia was six months pregnant with Grace, when she was diagnosed with stage three breast cancer.

Marlenia's only options were aggressive chemotherapy to save her life and prayers to protect her unborn baby.

"I can remember gasping for air," she said. "My doctor, John Sanbach, just looked at me and said, 'the baby is not the issue we got to save your life, and we've got to start chemo.' We're going to what? Got to run that by be again. How do you know this is safe?"

Marlenia's immediate concern was for her baby.

"Apparently there has been one long term study done by M.D. Anderson many years ago, about 20 back then, this was unusual, so instead of giving you three or four treatments they give you six, and that's what they did with me."

After three grueling months of chemotherapy, on January 1, 2002, a miracle happened.

"[There are] three meanings to the name grace: thankfulness, mercy and god's undeserving love."

Her husband George, friends and faith helped Marlenia through a bitter sweet period in her life.

It's been nearly four years since cancer shook her world, and grace came into it -- in more ways then one.

It's been three years since Marlenia's last treatment. Today she's cancer free and full of grace.

Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death behind lung cancer.

KVUE News and the Susan G. Komen Foundation have teamed up to promote breast cancer awareness.