At 21 weeks pregnant, Sarah Milner was told she had cervical cancer and advised to terminate her baby so she could have treatment.
But the mum-of-three wanted her baby to live and she made the decision to delay until her little one was big enough to be delivered.
Louis was born on 1 April, happy and healthy, and Sarah, 30, from Stoke-on-Trent, Staffs, had a hysterectomy to try to stop the spread of the cancer.
Sadly treatment didn’t work and the cancer is now throughout her body. She has been told she has less than two years to live.
Sarah said: ‘I was 21 weeks pregnant and diagnosed with stage one cervical cancer, which was described to me as being aggressive.
‘When I heard the diagnosis I couldn’t believe that this was really happening to me. It didn’t seem real. I was devastated.
‘When I was 26 I had a smear test which came back clear. I had my next one booked in, but I had to cancel as I was pregnant with Louis.
‘Because of the aggressive nature of the cancer, the doctors advised me to terminate my pregnancy. However, I really didn’t want to do that.
‘I wanted to have my baby no matter what.’
Louis was born by C-section in April and Sarah then had a hysterectomy and lymph node removal.
Initially, as doctors believed they had removed the cancer, they thought she would be given the all clear after radiotherapy.
Sarah added: ‘After I had given birth I was told that it was good news, they had removed most of the cancer and I had a good chance of being given the all-clear.
‘I was over the moon. I thought my decision had paid off and everything was going to work out well for us.
‘Throughout the summer I was having radiotherapy to treat some of the cancer that was in the lymphatic channel and then in October, I had a scan which was expected to come back all clear.’
But by November, another lump was found and the cancer had spread throughout the mum’s body.
She said: ‘I was told it was stage four and there was nothing else they could do for me.
‘I couldn’t believe what they were telling me once again. My world completely fell apart.
‘The news crushed me. I knew the risks that I was taking, but it just was not what I was expecting to come back from the scan.
‘My kids, Lily-Grace, who is nine, Bobbie, who is seven and Louis are going to be without their mum.’
Sarah, who is currently undergoing chemotherapy to prolong her life, married her partner James last month after being granted a special licence.
She said: ‘I am now receiving life-prolonging chemotherapy every three weeks. I have been given around two years to live, but as my cancer is very aggressive, it is likely to be shorter.
‘Since receiving that devastating news, my partner of three years, James, and I got a special licence so that we could have a last-minute wedding on 14 December.
‘It was a really lovely, local wedding at Stoke registry office. The kids and both of our parents were there and a local wedding shop gave me a dress and a veil to wear.
‘I am just happy that we managed to get married. It was one of the most important things to me.
‘We also managed to get away for a mini-honeymoon for one night in the Lake District. It was amazing.
‘I want to leave special things for the kids once I am gone. I am writing them birthday cards for the future, and cards for other special occasions such as weddings.’
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