A mum diagnosed with breast cancer says she would have never noticed the cyst on her breast if she had not have got pregnant. Hayley Cragg, 34, was 18 weeks pregnant when she noticed a cancerous lump on her breast - leading to her having it removed a few weeks later.
She underwent three rounds of chemotherapy while pregnant with son Louie, who was then delivered early to give both him and his mother the best chance of survival. He was born healthy in February this year and the operation to remove Hayley's cancer has so far been a success.
And the mum-of-three, from Bridlington, Yorkshire, said: "If I hadn’t got pregnant I wouldn’t have realised I had cancer. The cyst was pregnancy related, so when I went to get it checked out that's when they found it. The chemotherapy combined with the pregnancy sickness was absolutely horrific - it was the toughest time of my life."
Hayley was overjoyed when she found out she was pregnant with her third child in May last year. But her joy quickly turned to devastation when she was diagnosed with breast cancer at 18 weeks.
Not only was Hayley worried about her own life, she was also terrified for her unborn baby and how the cancer would effect him. She was referred to a breast cancer unit at Castle Hill Hospital in Cottingham, where she went for multiple biopsies to reveal the extent of the cancer.
Doctors informed her it was worse then they originally thought and at 23 weeks Hayley was forced to have a mastectomy to remove one of her breasts. After the successful operation she underwent three rounds of gruelling chemotherapy while battling all the discomforts of a normal pregnancy.
Hayley, who worked as carer before falling ill, said: "When they did the operation they removed the cancer completely, but the chemo was to ensure that it didn’t come back. I had three rounds while pregnant and that combined with the morning sickness was just horrific. I don't know if I could have done it without my baby boy who was giving me strength every step of the way."
Doctors delivered Louie earlier than planned so they could administer Hayley three more rounds of intense chemo and he was induced at 35 weeks. He was born completely healthy despite the trauma his mother had been put through during her pregnancy.
Brave Hayley then battled through the rest of her treatment, which concluded in April. And, after a short burst of radiotherapy next month, she expects to be given the all-clear.
Louie is now 16 weeks old and progressing well and Hayley can now start looking forward to a bright future with all three of her children.
Hayley said: "I still feel constantly tired now and have tingling in my hands and feet from the chemo - although this should fade over time. I have to undergo some radiotherapy in July, but doctors are positive this is just a precaution to make sure they kill any remaining cancer cells in my body.
"It's crazy to think if I hadn't have got pregnant I may have never noticed the cancer until it was too late. I guess everything happens for a reason. It's been a difficult journey, but I can't wait to put this chapter behind me and start enjoying life again."
