Cancer survivor, 32, welcomes his ‘miracle’ baby after his partner found out she was unexpectedly pregnant – just WEEKS before chemotherapy left him infertile
- Simon Thompson was taken to hospital the day after learning he would be a dad
- The sales assistant was diagnosed with stage 4 Non Hodgkin’s lymphoma
- Weeks later, he started 26 round of grueling chemo and radiotherapy sessions
- By the time his girlfriend was 37 weeks pregnant, he was given the all-clear
A cancer survivor has welcomed his ‘miracle baby’ who was conceived just weeks before he started chemotherapy that left him infertile.
Simon Thompson, 32, from Margate, Kent, discovered he was going to be a father the day before he was diagnosed with advanced Non Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
Just a few weeks on, the sales assistant began 26 rounds of grueling chemotherapy and radiotherapy, which has left him unable to ever father a child again.
His 22-year-old girlfriend Maxine Campbell’s bump grew while he endured the agonising treatment. By the time she was 37 weeks pregnant, Mr Thompson was given the all-clear.
The pair welcomed their son Mateo last month.
Miss Campbell said: ‘It’s been the toughest but the happiest year of our lives. I am so relieved Simon is much better and Mateo being born marks a new chapter for us.’
Cancer survivor Simon Thompson welcomed his ‘miracle’ son Mateo last month. He discovered he was going to be a father the day before he was rushed to hospital where he was diagnosed with advanced lymphoma. He later started chemotherapy that has left him infertile
Mr Thompson battled guilt throughout his girlfriend Maxine Campbell’s (pictured) pregnancy, saying ‘I wanted to look after Maxine, but it ended up being the other way around’
Weeks after his diagnosis, he started 11 rounds of chemo and 15 radiotherapy sessions
Although overjoyed to be a father, Mr Thompson feels his cancer battle ‘robbed’ him of the excitement of being an expectant parent.
‘Having your first child is supposed to be a happy and exciting time in any couples’ lives and we feel that was robbed from us,’ he said.
‘While most mums and dads to be are excitedly picking out the nursery theme and buying babygrows, our impending arrival was almost the last thing on our minds.
‘We’d be on cloud nine one minute and then seconds later remember what we were dealing with and it would bring us back down to earth with a thud.
‘We were driving back and forth to hospital appointments and I was having chemotherapy and worrying about whether I was going to be around to see Maxine give birth.
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‘Maxine was terrified she was going to lose me and that our son would grow up without a dad.’
Although a stressful time, he credits his son for giving him the strength to fight his disease.
‘Having Maxine and the baby to focus on while I was battling cancer willed me to beat the disease and get better for their sake,’ he said.
‘I just was desperate to be there. I was determined to see Maxine give birth and watch my little boy grow up. Maxine and the baby kept me strong.
‘The chances of me surviving cancer were 60 per cent which sounds positive, but four in 10 people succumb to the disease so I knew I had to throw everything I had at it.’
Mr Thompson feels his cancer battle ‘robbed’ him of the excitement of preparing for fatherhood. Rather than feeling overjoyed at his partner’s pregnancy, Mr Thompson worried over whether he would survive and if his son may be forced to grow up without a dad
Mr Thompson was given the all-clear eight months after his diagnosis, with his son Mateo Ian being born August 17 after Miss Campbell endured 40 hours of labour and a C-section
The youngster spent 10 days in intensive care due to him being born with fluid on his lungs and breathing difficulties. Mr Thompson said: ‘Looking at him hooked up to machines and covered in wires was so hard. It reminded me of everything I’d just been through’
Although Mr Thompson’s aggressive treatment means he will never father another child, he insists he is ‘blessed’.
‘We know we’ll probably never be able to have any more children as the chemotherapy has made me infertile,’ he said.
‘But despite it all, we feel incredibly blessed to have our miracle, surprise baby after all we’ve been through.’
Mateo Ian was born August 17 after Miss Campbell endured 40 hours of labour and a C-section.
The youngster was in specialist care for 10 days, and required medication for fluid on the lungs and breathing difficulties.
‘We weren’t even allowed to hold him for the first 48 hours,’ Mr Thompson said.
‘Looking at him in his incubator, hooked up to machines and covered in wires was so hard. It reminded me of everything I’d just been through and being pumped with chemo.
‘I told him he was strong like his daddy and that he’d pull through.’ Mateo recovered and the family-of-three are together at home.
Despite his ill health, Mr Thompson tried hard to support Miss Campbell throughout her pregnancy, and managed to attend every one of her appointments and scans
Although Mateo may be their only child, they feel ‘incredibly blessed to have our miracle baby’
Miss Campbell’s pregnancy came as a surprise, with her having no idea her boyfriend would be rushed to hospital with a deadly disease the day after she proudly showed off her test result
Mr Thompson started to feel unwell in June last year after experiencing numbness in his face and severe toothache. Before long, a golf-ball sized lump developed inside his mouth.
After visiting his dentist and GP, and even being referred to an optician due to the swelling, his symptoms were dismissed as a dental abscess and he was prescribed antibiotics.
When Mr Thompson’s symptoms failed to improve, with him dosing up on painkillers and numbing gel for months to get through the days, Miss Campbell, a former nanny, eventually dragged him to hospital.
‘The pain become so severe, I just had to get some help,’ he said.
‘I assumed it was just a dental abscess and that it would go away naturally, but after months of agony I had no choice but to go to hospital.’
Like his father, Mateo pulled through and the family-of-three are now together at home
Miss Campbell described her pregnancy as ‘the toughest but the happiest year of our lives’. After everything they have endured, she adds Mateo’s arrival signals ‘a new chapter’ for them
While unwell, Miss Campell drove Mr Thompson to hospital and looked after him at home
At times in the pregnancy the pair felt ‘on cloud nine’, only to be brought ‘down with a thud’
After arriving at A&E, doctors immediately warned Mr Thompson it could be serious. He was diagnosed with stage 4 Non Hodgkin’s lymphoma on December 18 last year.
Meanwhile, Ms Campbell only discovered she was three weeks pregnant the day before.
‘Even though I heard the “C” word I didn’t think it would be that,’ Mr Thompson said.
In the new year, Mr Thompson started a course of 11 rounds of chemotherapy and 15 radiotherapy sessions.
He said: ‘I wanted to look after Maxine and be there for her whilst she was pregnant, but it ended up being the other way around.
‘She had to drive me to all of my hospital appointments and look after me when I was at home.’
Despite his ill health, Mr Thompson managed to attend all of Miss Campbell’s pregnancy appointments and scans. ‘Luckily her pregnancy was smooth-sailing,’ he said.
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