A super fit mum-to-be who put her breathlessness down to being pregnant was mortified when medics dropped the bombshell that she has cancer. Gym goer Victoria Hemmings-Slack went to her doctor because she was so easily out of breath while later symptoms included night sweats, itchy skin and a pain in her chest.
Her GP at first told the 30-year-old she had a chest infection but at 17 weeks pregnant was rushed to A&E where a chest x-ray revealed a tumour on her chest. Medics then found a lump in her neck and Victoria was diagnosed with stage two Hodgkin lymphoma, Stoke-on-Trent Live reports.
Victoria told how her thoughts immediately turned to her unborn child after being told the devastating news. She was terrified of her baby growing up not remembering her.
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She said: “I never expected to have cancer, I'd just got married, moved into our first home and we were expecting our first child. It felt really perfect, it was a massive shock.
"I was really excited to be pregnant, but I only got to 17 weeks and then I found out I had this cancer and I was frightened of losing my baby all the time.
“I was worried I'd have a baby that wouldn't remember his mum, I was worried I wouldn't get through it.
“I'm a regular gym goer, I would go about four or five times a week, but when I got married last September I took about two weeks off the gym.
“I came back from my wedding and found I couldn't catch my breath when I was working out, I thought it was strange because I'm in good shape and I didn't understand.
"I went to the doctors, who said they thought it was a chest infection and I had some antibiotics, but it didn't clear.
“I then found out I was six weeks pregnant and I thought that would explain why I've been getting out of breath.
“But my breathing then rapidly deteriorated, I couldn't walk up the stairs without getting out of breath.”
Victoria is now in remission, but still has four more rounds of chemo to go.
She gave birth to her son at 35 weeks on May 7, naming him Gabriel as he is “their angel.”
She added: “I was devastated at first, but I adopted a very positive attitude to it because crying won't make me better.
“I was just so grateful to have this pregnancy and being able to have this treatment and I wasn't having to make a decision of it's me or the baby.
"But as much as I tried to enjoy my pregnancy, I was constantly worried about any reduced movements, constantly thinking 'what am I doing to my unborn child?'
“It took me a long time before I started buying baby items or decorating his nursery as I was just so frightened of losing him.
“I was determined to get better and I appreciate life 10 times more now.
“I class myself as lucky, I'm able to live my life after this cancer and I've got a beautiful child. “For some people, cancer takes that away from them."
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