A baby boy has been described as being “born twice” after a groundbreaking surgery saved both his life and his mother’s during a battle with ovarian cancer.
Lucy, 32, a special needs teacher from Oxfordshire, was diagnosed with ovarian cancer at 12 weeks pregnant. At 20 weeks, a team of 15 doctors at John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford performed a five-hour operation to remove cancerous cells from her ovaries, which were behind her womb. Her son was safely returned to her and born again at the end of January, weighing 6lb 5oz.
Ovarian cancer affects 7,000 women annually in the UK, with over 4,000 deaths. Doctors feared delaying treatment until after childbirth would risk spreading the cancer, but Lucy’s pregnancy had advanced too far for standard surgery.
The rare procedure, which involved lifting Lucy’s womb out of her abdomen to access the cancer, has only been performed a few times globally. During the operation, Lucy’s womb remained connected to the uterine artery to keep her baby safe.
Lucy recalled her initial excitement when her pregnancy test came back positive, but during a 12-week scan, a sonographer noticed an issue with her ovary. This led to her referral for specialist care.
Mr. Hooman Soleymani Majd, who led the team, called the surgery “complex and challenging,” but praised the team’s dedication. Lucy said she felt “incredibly lucky” to be diagnosed early, and is now focused on her son’s health. She will undergo further surgery next month to complete her cancer treatment.
“The main thing is that he is here, and he is healthy,” Lucy said. “We’ve felt, ‘If we get to meet our baby…’ rather than, ‘When we get to meet our baby…'”
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