Upon receiving a breast cancer diagnosis, Sarrah Strimel Bentley initially believed that the treatment process would be the most challenging part of her journey. Little did she know that her dream of becoming a mother would also face a risk. “IVF is not an easy experience, on top of having cancer while doing it,” said Strimel Bentley, 42. A former Broadway actor, she underwent a double mastectomy, chemotherapy, and 28 rounds of radiation after discovering a cancerous lump under her arm in 2020. “It came out of nowhere,” she expressed. “It was the last thing I had expected at that point in my life.” At that time, the New Yorker had just entered a new relationship and was looking forward to the future, including the possibility of starting a family. However, she was unaware that the treatment that was saving her life could also jeopardize her chances of having a baby later on. “All breast cancer treatments can impact a woman’s fertility,” stated Dr. Eleonora Teplinsky, head of breast medical oncology at the New Jersey Valley Health System. “Chemotherapy can put women into early menopause, and sometimes they are able to recover from that but not always.” Consequently, it is often recommended that women explore options to safeguard against potential infertility before undergoing cancer treatment. Strimel Bentley, 38 at the time, was advised to freeze either her eggs or embryos as a precautionary measure. She underwent two rounds of IVF with her partner, James Bentley. “You’re faced with some really shocking numbers on how hard it is to make a baby,” said James, 42. “When you do it through IVF, that’s very much in your face.” The procedure resulted in only one genetically normal embryo. “When the fear would creep in, which it did a lot. When I had to mourn the loss of my breasts, my ovaries, my fertility, my hair — I mean you name it, I lost it — I just kept coming back to the practice of presence and of belief,” shared Strimel Bentley, who now operates a wellness brand called Damn Good & Co. “I knew we had this one chance, this one shot.” The couple’s solitary embryo was carried to term by a surrogate. Chance was born on Dec. 10, 2023, and was named for the risk his parents took and the priceless reward that followed. “There’s nothing like that first scream, feeling that your priorities are changing and your life is changing,” said James. “You have a little person suddenly looking up at you… It was not really the end of the journey, but the start of a journey.”
