Expectant mother Lizzy Van Tromp was told every woman’s fear, that she had breast cancer, whilst only four weeks pregnant. She spoke to Siobhan Ryan after giving birth to a baby boy

A MOTHER diagnosed with breast cancer when she was just four weeks pregnant has spoken of her joy at giving birth to a healthy baby boy after delaying her chemotherapy treatment for two months to give him the best possible chance.

Lizzy Van Tromp gave birth to Henry at the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton 13 weeks ago and is showing no signs of any side-effects from his mother’s treatment.

Despite having a mastectomy, Mrs Van Tromp, from Worthing, has also been able to breastfeed her son, who she describes as her “little miracle.”

Mrs Van Tromp, 40, who is married to Nick, 34, and has an older son Leo, who is nearly four, said getting the diagnosis was devastating.

She said: “My first thought was for the baby and what it would mean.

“It was suggested to me that I should have a termination because I needed to start treatment urgently but that was never an option.”

Mrs Van Tromp had previously had the heartbreaking experience of having to deliver a baby at 14 weeks because of complications with her pregnancy and so was determined to do everything she could not to lose another child.

She said: “I wanted to give the child every chance of life. It meant having to delay the chemotherapy until I had finished the first trimester but I felt I needed to do this.”

Henry was eventually born by caesarean at 34 weeks, weighing 4lb 8oz, and has continued to go from strength to strength.

Mrs Van Tromp, who had her chemotherapy and radiotherapy treatment during her pregnancy, has now had to stop breastfeeding so she can continue with hormone treatment.

She hopes her story will help give encouragement to other mothers in her position.

She said: “Obviously every person is different and I respect any decision a person makes. Not everyone is able to have a choice like I did and it is down to the individual.

“I just wanted to get my story out there to try to give hope to others and help those who want to make an informed choice.”

Mrs Van Tromp said she also wanted to highlight the need to provide more training and information to health staff about cancer during pregnancy and breastfeeding.

Henry’s birth was captured on camera by photographer Lesley Taylor as part of a year-long project called The Human Life Cycle, which is due to be turned into an exhibition next spring.

The Argus:

‘I needed to pull myself together quickly’

By Lizzy Van Tromp

“I KNEW it was cancer as soon as they took my husband Nick and me into the room.

I remember rocking and wailing as the surgeon’s words sunk in, ‘what about my baby?’ I cried, I was only four weeks pregnant.

The doctors advised me to have a termination as they wanted me to have surgery right away and there was a high chance I would miscarry due to the general anaesthetic.

They also wanted me to start chemotherapy soon after which is catastrophic for a developing foetus.

It’s impossible to describe my feelings at that moment - terror, devastation, fear for my unborn baby. What would I tell my precious toddler Leo?

Would I see him grow up? I didn’t want to die.

All I knew was I could not and would not end this pregnancy and so just three days later I went into hospital for a mastectomy and lymph node clearance.

I never really had time to consider it or mourn losing a breast, I just wanted the cancer gone.

Waking up after surgery I cried and cried and I couldn’t bear to look down at my chest for fear of what I’d see.

But then my toddler Leo – who we’d hurriedly read the book ‘Mummy’s Lump’ to before I was admitted – came running into the hospital room asking ‘can I see where the doctor snipped your booby off?’ I then realised that life goes on and I needed to pull myself together pretty quickly.

A week later I sat with my oncologist and he confirmed they’d removed a tumour that was stage three, aggressive and fast growing.

They wanted to start chemo right away and he reiterated the advice that I should have a termination of my pregnancy but again I refused.

And so began the long wait to get to 15 weeks gestation and safely into the second trimester so that I could commence the next stage of treatment.

During this time I had an ultrasound scan every two weeks which showed our baby was developing well and at 14 weeks I met my wonderful obstetrician Tony Kelly, who would continue two weekly scans to track the baby’s growth for the rest of my pregnancy.

We were overjoyed at 18 weeks and two chemo cycles in to learn that we were having another boy, a brother for Leo, and so began the countdown to Henry’s arrival.

I had the last of six cycles of chemo on December 30 and just a month later, our little warrior Henry entered the world, delivered by planned caesarean section at 34 weeks gestation.

He spent two weeks receiving special care needing support with breathing and feeding but in February he was allowed home and we four were reunited in our new family home, which we’d moved into a week before Henry’s birth.

Henry is now thriving, he breastfed beautifully and I have fallen in love with my one boob again by seeing how it can nourish and nurture another human being, something I’m so proud I could do.

I’ve had three weeks of radiotherapy and need 10 years of hormone therapy.

The road ahead is long but I’m through active treatment and I feel so incredibly blessed to be a mummy to my beautiful sons and a wife to my amazing husband who has been my rock throughout treatment.

Of course I have wobbles but then I remind myself to live for the moment and to love those most important to me with every part of my body and soul.

No one knows what’s around the corner but I fully intend to grow old and grey with Nick and to become a grandma and a great grandma.

Cancer is my burden not a death sentence and most importantly it does not stop you living and creating life as I have done with Henry.

I really hope my story encourages other women to check their breasts regularly and most importantly, I hope it gives hope and reassurance to those women diagnosed during pregnancy.”