Photos of an unidentified mother breastfeeding her newborn after undergoing a left-breast mastectomy have gone viral after a Florida photographer posted them on her Facebook page.
Kate Murray, of Niceville, Fla., said in a Facebook post that the mom was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer halfway through her pregnancy, Q13Fox.com reported. The Facebook page for Murray’s company, Kate Murray Photography, has since been disabled after at least 100,000 people reportedly shared a photo of the mom.
According to the report, Murray wrote in the post that the mother had a single mastectomy during her pregnancy and underwent chemo before the child’s birth. Birth was induced at 36 weeks so the mom could receive more treatment.
Shortly after the child was born, the baby latched onto the mother’s right breast, which prompted people in the room to overflow with emotion.
“Breastfeeding is such a sacred bond,” Murray wrote. “This one just makes my heart break and swell at the same time.”