Cancer While Pregnant: Eileen M. Vélez-Vega on Rebuilding Herself

At 29, five months pregnant, Eileen M. Vélez-Vega was diagnosed with stage four Hodgkin lymphoma. She had chemotherapy while she was pregnant, and her daughter was born that December, healthy, with a lot of hair. Years later she became the first woman to lead Puerto Rico's Department of Transportation and Public Works in its 105 years.

She grew up in Sabana Grande writing letters to NASA and NOAA for posters, fundraised her way to Space Camp, and became the first engineer in her family. When the governor's office asked for her résumé in November 2020, she said no. Her husband told her she was ready, even though she did not feel ready. She tells us what four years of public scrutiny after Hurricanes Maria and Fiona required, why she chose honesty over looking like she knew everything, and why she always saves the cancer story for last.

▶️ Watch the full conversation on YouTube: https://youtu.be/HNE2Iv7Smy4

CHAPTERS

00:00 Chemo while pregnant

00:26 What if the hardest thing you ever rebuilt was yourself

01:36 Meet Eileen M. Vélez-Vega

02:56 Growing up in Sabana Grande

03:39 Letters to NASA and Space Camp

04:29 The first engineer in the family

05:22 The call from the governor's office

07:39 Diallo Wallace and the Space Camp Hall of Fame