by Brave ᴄᴀɴᴄᴇʀ-Stricken Mum Defied Doctors’ Gave Birth Twins During
Brave ᴄᴀɴᴄᴇʀ-stricken mum defied doctors’ advice to ᴀʙᴏʀᴛ her twins and gambled her life to bring boys into the world. That is because the 35-year-old was advised to ᴀʙᴏʀᴛ little Preslee and Buddy, now six months old, after finding out she ʜᴀᴅ ᴄᴀɴᴄᴇʀ.
Becky Anderson’s womb was ʀᴇᴍᴏᴠᴇd on the same day she gave birth as sᴜʀɢᴇᴏɴs ʙᴀᴛᴛʟᴇᴅ ʜᴇʀ ᴄᴇʀᴠɪᴄᴀʟ ᴄᴀɴᴄᴇʀ. GENTLY cradling her twin boys in her arms, Becky Anderson is cherishing every moment of being a new mum.
Becky waited until she gave birth at 30 weeks before having ᴄᴇʀᴠɪᴄᴀʟ ᴄᴀɴᴄᴇʀ ᴛʀᴇᴀᴛᴍᴇɴᴛ, which saw sᴜʀɢᴇᴏɴs ʀᴇᴍᴏᴠᴇ her womb the same day she gave birth. And although she has not yet been given the all-clear, she does not regret it for a second.
Becky, from Portsmouth, who was already mum to Morgan, 18, and Phinley, nine, discovered she was pregnant in May 2016. But her joy was short-lived when a sᴍᴇᴀʀ ᴛᴇsᴛ came back as abnormal the same month. Just two months after finding out she was pregnant, she was told she ʜᴀᴅ ᴄᴀɴᴄᴇʀ — and was advised to ᴛᴇʀᴍɪɴᴀᴛᴇ the pregnancy.
Becky said: “I’d gone from being on top of the world to being in the depths of despair, worrying whether I was going to actually survive. At first, I refused to believe the results. It was really hard to take in — discovering you’re pregnant and have ᴄᴀɴᴄᴇʀ at the same time. I just held my mum and cried. I knew I needed to survive for the sake of my children. There was no way I was leaving them. The doctors seemed confident it was treatable but, as soon as anyone hears ‘ᴄᴀɴᴄᴇʀ’, their mind jumps to the ᴡᴏʀsᴛ conclusion. I tried to stay positive but I was fearing the ᴡᴏʀsᴛ.”
More tests, when Becky was 15 weeks pregnant, showed the ᴄᴀɴᴄᴇʀ was contained in her ᴄᴇʀᴠɪx and she would not need ᴄʜᴇᴍᴏᴛʜᴇʀᴀᴘʏ.
She said: “It was such a relief to hear it ʜᴀᴅn’t spread. But as soon as the news sunk, my first concern was for my unborn twins. I asked doctors if they would be OK.”
Instead of reassuring her, doctors gave Becky a terrifying ultimatum — end the pregnancy and start ᴛʀᴇᴀᴛᴍᴇɴᴛ straight away, or ʀɪsᴋ the ᴄᴀɴᴄᴇʀ spreading.
Becky said: “They wanted to give me a ʜʏsᴛᴇʀᴇᴄᴛᴏᴍʏ the following week but I was adamant I would not have an ᴀʙᴏʀᴛion. A ʜʏsᴛᴇʀᴇᴄᴛᴏᴍʏ would mean I’d be left infertile so this was my last chance to have children. I spent weeks in hospital as doctors monitored me. I sᴜFFᴇʀᴇᴅ ʙʟᴇᴇᴅɪɴɢ after having biopsies on my ᴄᴇʀᴠɪx and there was a higher ʀɪsᴋ of ᴍɪsᴄᴀʀʀɪᴀɢᴇ than normal. I worried a lot.”
When she was 30 weeks pregnant, doctors decided to deliver the boys by ᴄᴀᴇsᴀʀᴇᴀɴ sᴇᴄᴛɪᴏɴ then ʀᴇᴍᴏᴠᴇ her ᴄᴇʀᴠɪx and uterus in a six-hour op the same day.
Becky says: “They wanted the twins to develop without delaying my ᴛʀᴇᴀᴛᴍᴇɴᴛ. It was worrying knowing I was going to give birth so early but I trusted the doctors.”
Preslee and Buddy were born weighing 3lb 7oz and 3lb 6oz respectively at Queen Alexandra Hospital, Portsmouth, in October. And no sooner ʜᴀᴅ they been sent to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), sᴜʀɢᴇᴏɴs ᴡᴇʀᴇ ᴘʀᴇᴘᴀʀɪɴɢ her for a ʜʏsᴛᴇʀᴇᴄᴛᴏᴍʏ.
Becky said: “I ʜᴀᴅ a team of at least 20 doctors in the theatre with me, either delivering my twins or waiting to ʀᴇᴍᴏᴠᴇ my womb afterwards. It was a blur.”
It was four days before Becky ʜᴀᴅ the strength to see her boys and they were wheeled to her ʜᴏsᴘɪᴛᴀʟ ʙᴇᴅ in their incubators.
She said: “I was exhausted and in agony but when they were placed on my chest, I ʙʀᴇᴀᴛʜᴇᴅ ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇɪʀ sᴄᴇɴᴛ and just couldn’t believe they were here. I was crying through a mixture of ᴘᴀɪɴ, love and disbelief that I was finally getting to hold them.”
Four weeks later, Becky was discharged from hospital and is hopeful she does not need any Fᴜʀᴛʜᴇʀ ᴛʀᴇᴀᴛᴍᴇɴᴛ.
She says: “A couple of my lymph nodes showed further signs of ᴄᴀɴᴄᴇʀ so I’m waiting for a final check. But I’m lucky that the ᴄᴀɴᴄᴇʀ was caught early, thanks to my sᴍᴇᴀʀ ᴛᴇsᴛ. Having ᴄᴀɴᴄᴇʀ has made me realise how precious life is.”
