'Love Is Blind' Shaina Hurley Breaks Silence On Cancer Battle During Pregnancy

Shaina Hurley's faith and strength were tested during her pregnancy; however, despite doctors' worries, she passed the ordeal with flying colors.

The "Love Is Blind" star recently opened up for the first time about battling cancer amid her pregnancy — a situation that could have led to the loss of her baby or, worse, her life.

Doctors and her husband, Christos Lardakis, hoped she would undergo a procedure to treat the disease, but Shaina Hurley's strong belief in God made her stand her ground. Now, she is spilling all the details about the life-changing event.

During a heart-to-heart interview, Hurley shared that her journey to having a healthy baby boy was a test of faith when doctors noticed something wrong with her body. Following a routine pap smear at eight weeks, she revealed:

"I had no symptoms. But later, the doctor called me and said the pap smear results had come back as abnormal, and they needed to get me in for a colposcopy."

She underwent the procedure a month later, and the test was sent to Northwestern. A day later, doctors confirmed that Hurley had Stage 2 cervical cancer. However, as a woman of faith, she refused to be defeated, telling PEOPLE:

"I felt the fear creeping in, but I knew then and there, I can't let the enemy take over my mind. I can't go down that dark hole. I had to go into survival mode and tell God, 'I trust you.'"

Following her diagnosis, doctors urged Hurley to undergo a cold-knife conization, a procedure which would allow them to see how far the cancer had spread and get rid of as much of it as they could.

The procedure involved removing a cone-shaped piece of tissue from the cervix, a risky process given Hurley's pregnancy. But she refused to lose her "miracle" baby after working so hard to have a child, saying:

"The problem is, I was pregnant. [The] cervix is what holds pregnancy. I was at just around three months and so I would most likely lose the baby. At that point, I just couldn't risk it."

Doctors yielded and offered to perform a laparoscopic surgery to ensure the cancer had not spread to the lymph nodes. She underwent the procedure at 22 weeks.

"It hadn't spread to the lymph nodes, but they were still wanting to do chemotherapy. I still had no symptoms, so I did deny chemotherapy," Hurley recalled, noting she was a "tough patient" for doctors to deal with.

Hurley's disagreements with doctors continued when they suggested she deliver her child at 32 weeks. "I felt it was too early. I took the risk and pushed it to 37-and-a-half weeks and delivered a healthy baby boy," she explained.

Her decision to push her delivery date wasn't easy for her loved ones, with Hurley noting her husband had it harder. "I don't think my husband and I ever had stronger battles in our marriage," she confessed, adding:

"He wanted the baby, but he would also say, 'Shaina, I don't want to lose my wife. I want you to be here to raise the baby.'"

"My faith and my strong will kicked in, and there was no other way I was going to do it. We had a miscarriage before Yiorgos," Hurley recalled, referencing her newborn son's name.

Two weeks after welcoming her son, Yiorgos David, in February, Hurley suffered a transient ischemic attack (TIA), also known as a mini-stroke. She recalled losing control of the left side of her body but fortunately recovered without side effects.

Four weeks later, she finally underwent the cold knife conization doctors had been pushing for; however, the procedure was unsuccessful. She had a second surgery six weeks later but did not get the good news she wanted immediately.

Following two extra weeks, Hurley received the words she had prayed for, declaring: "As of June, I'm finally cancer-free." She will continue receiving routine checkups every three months and must wait a year before planning for another child.

Despite being a public figure, Hurley did not share her cancer battle with fans because she believed it was between her and God. She claimed she wouldn't even say the word "cancer" during or after her pregnancy until it left her body.

"My strength came from my relationship with the Lord. On this earth, we do suffer. But it's how we suffer that's the real test. If it wasn't for my relationship with God, I don't think I would have had the strength," she confessed.

The journey significantly impacted Shaina Hurley's life, motivating her and her husband to host a fundraising gala for cancer research.