[ad_1]
© Provided by Daily Mail
MailOnline Logo
A mother who made the agonizing decision to delay cancer treatment when she discovered it could harm an unborn baby has given birth – and been given the green light.
Ellie Whittaker, 21, of Bolsover, Chesterfield, was diagnosed with stage two Hodgkin lymphoma in October 2019 when she was 16 weeks pregnant with her baby daughter, Connie Marriott, now eight months old.
Having previously had a miscarriage, Ellie was determined to continue her pregnancy – despite being advised to have an abortion.
Doctors told her that it was not safe for her to undergo chemotherapy while she was expecting – as the treatment could harm her unborn child.
But rather than terminate her baby girl, Ellie decided to continue the pregnancy and give birth before starting chemotherapy – giving the disease an opportunity to develop and worsen.
Her daughter, Connie, arrived by Caesarean section on March 18, 2020, weighing 6lb 12oz, at Jessops Wing, Sheffield, and a week later, a scan revealed Ellie’s cancer had progressed to stage three.
Ellie underwent 12 rounds of chemotherapy and was finally given the green light two weeks after her last exam in October 2020.
© Provided by Daily Mail
Ellie Whittaker, 21, of Bolsover, Chesterfield, was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma in October 2019 when she was 16 weeks pregnant with her baby daughter, Connie Marriott. She decided to delay her chemotherapy in order to give birth
© Provided by Daily Mail
Ellie, pictured now after chemotherapy, had already had a miscarriage when she heard her diagnosis and decided to carry Connie to term despite doctors warning that delaying chemo would have dire repercussions on her health.
The mother of one child didn’t have many symptoms other than a lump in her neck and a feeling of “ tiredness. ”
“There was no way on this planet that I was going to abort my baby,” said Ellie, a full-time mother.
“ I pushed cancer this far from my mind and focused on Connie – I couldn’t wait to be a mom.
“A week after giving birth, I went for a CT scan and found out that he had passed the third stage.
© Provided by Daily Mail
The mother-of-one, pictured during her pregnancy, finally started chemotherapy shortly after giving birth to Connie in March and has now been given the green light
© Provided by Daily Mail
Ellie, pictured with fiance Kieran Marriott and granddaughter Connie Marriott. Ellie said she doesn’t regret her decision and would do the same if given a choice
“ I’ve lived with this for so long it’s weird that he’s finally gone – I can’t believe it. I don’t regret my decision and would do the same again if I had the choice.
After having a miscarriage in April 2019, Ellie started to feel really exhausted and developed a viral infection.
When a lump appeared on her neck, she went to the GP and underwent testing in July 2019.
It was around the same time that Ellie and her fiancé, Kieran Marriott, 22, a scaffolder, discovered they were expecting another baby.
She said: ‘I didn’t know I was pregnant but losing the baby made it clear to us that we were ready to start a family.
‘I was so exhausted and caught a lot of lung infections – I thought it was due to stress and the recent loss of my grandfather.
“ I was so sleepy that I accidentally fell asleep in a meeting while working for the Post.
Video: Daughter honors late father with stem cell transplant (USA TODAY)
Click to enlarge
NEXT
“ When the lump appeared, the doctor thought it was tonsillitis, but I knew it was something else. ”
After going back and forth with the GP for the following month, Ellie was finally referred to Chesterfield Royal Hospital in Derbyshire in August 2019 for a scan and then a biopsy on the lump.
In October 2019, when Ellie was 16 weeks pregnant, she was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma by the Macmillan Cancer Unit.
An MRI confirmed this to be the second step, and Ellie was given the choice of delaying treatment or aborting her unborn baby.
The doctor told Ellie that the cancer treatment could harm the health of the fetus, but Ellie did not want an abortion (Photo: Connei Marriott now)
© Provided by Daily Mail
“ I had no other symptoms other than being tired – I couldn’t believe it, ” Ellie said.
“The doctor advised me to have an abortion because the cancer treatment could cause problems for the baby. There was no way I was going to give it up, so I chose to delay it.
Ellie was referred to Royal Hallamshire Hospital in Sheffield, where she was scanned every two weeks until she had a Caesarean section scheduled at 37 weeks.
Doctors planned to start treatment for Ellie at 27 weeks, but decided she was doing well enough to wait until after the birth.
“ They had only ever cared for one pregnant woman with Hodgkin lymphoma, ” she said.
© Provided by Daily Mail
Kieran holding Connie Marriott in the hospital next to Ellie shortly after giving birth in March
© Provided by Daily Mail
After her pregnancy and after starting chemotherapy seven months later than she could have, Ellie was afraid that she would not be there to watch her daughter grow up.
“But I tried not to think about it – I wanted my pregnancy to be as normal as possible.
Ellie gave birth to Connie on March 18, 2020, weighing 6 lbs 12 oz, and she began treatment almost immediately afterward.
She said: ‘I tried to spend as much time with Connie as possible before I started. I remember crying and thinking I couldn’t be there for her.
“I knew the chemotherapy would take its toll.
“ But when they scanned me, the cancer had passed to stage three – it had spread to my stomach and spleen. ”
During her fourth round of chemotherapy, Ellie had a CT scan and found that she was responding well to treatment and could give up any of the drugs she was taking.
Ellie showing the lump in her neck, one of the symptoms of her cancer, which left her exhausted
© Provided by Daily Mail
Mum-of-one had 12 grueling cycles of chemotherapy and ended in September 2020
Ellie underwent a final PET scan in October 2020 and doctors broke the exciting news that there was no sign of cancer and it was unlikely to come back.
Ellie is grateful for the support she received from Connie’s father, Kieran, and her parents, Debbie and John.
She said: ‘Everyone has supported me in several ways.
“I had to wait two weeks for the results of my final exam, which was agony.
“ I’m so glad it’s gone and I can focus on being a mom.
“Kieran has been amazing and takes care of Connie whenever I have hospital appointments.
‘Connie is an amazing baby – she has started teething and trying to sit up. She is the quietest baby and sleeps all night. I wouldn’t change it for the world.
Read more
[ad_2]
Source link