A mum has revealed how her unborn babies saved her life when a routine scan discovered a cancerous cyst that had gone undetected.
When Lucy Miles found out she was pregnant – and with twins – she was overjoyed.
But then, her whole world came crashing down during her 20-week scan.
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The 28-year-old was told she had a “small ruler-sized” cyst growing in her ovary, which was later found to be cancerous.
Now cancer-free and a mum-of-three, Lucy credits being alive to her twin boys, Ronnie and Reuben.
As without them, the cyst wouldn’t have been found – and she may not be here today.
“It was a shock, because cancer hadn’t even crossed my mind,” the stay-at-home mum from Burton-on-Trent, told Need To Know.
“But the doctors assured me the cyst could be removed through surgery during pregnancy.
“However, I had a tough decision to make.
“Having the surgery so early on in my pregnancy meant there was a high risk I’d lose my boys.
“I didn’t want to take that risk and put them in danger.
“I was also nervous that I would go into preterm labour and they wouldn’t survive.
“I didn’t want for that to be my fault, so I chose to give them as much of a chance as possible.
“Continuing with my pregnancy, the boys kept growing amazingly.
“But, unfortunately, so did the cyst.”
After monitoring the growth, doctors decided it was best for Lucy to undergo a caesarean at 34 weeks.
Both her boys, Ronnie and Reuben, now aged two, were delivered successfully.
And so was the cyst, which had grown to 30cm – the same size as an A4 piece of paper – with doctors confirming the large growth was ovarian cancer.
She said: “I was just so happy it went well.
“I feel so very grateful.
“It is quite rare to have ovarian cancer at my age, so, in some ways, I feel like this pregnancy saved my life.
“My boys are such miracles.
“Not only have they saved my life, but there was a strong chance they wouldn’t make it.
“Yet here they are – happy and healthy. “
Now, Lucy and the twins have reunited with the nurses and doctors at Queen’s Hospital Burton, who are the reason they are still here today.
She added, “I wouldn’t have gotten through it without the team at Burton.
“They were incredible from start to finish.
“I trusted them completely.
“I put mine and my boys’ lives in their hands, and they did everything they could to care for us and keep us safe.
“Because of the amazing doctors and nurses, I am here and alive.
“I will never be able to thank them enough.”
Lucy recently had another biopsy, with the results coming back clear, and will continue to be monitored for the next three years.
