Cervical cancer survivor, 41, gives birth to 'miracle twins’: 'I feel incredibly lucky’
FOX NEWS - A British woman who survived cervical cancer but was told she may never be able to have children has since welcomed a set of “miracle” twins.
In 2017, Rebecca Allen, 41, of Norfolk, was diagnosed with early-stage cervical cancer. The self-proclaimed former “workaholic” said the diagnosis changed her perspective on life, pushing her to prioritize having children if she could.
“During my 20s and 30s, I was a workaholic and I was always aiming to achieve the next salary bracket or job title,” Allen said, according to the Daily Mail. “I was burning the candle from both ends by partying [at] night and working hard during the day – a child wouldn't fit into my busy schedule.”
“But after my diagnosis, I realized none of it was important anymore and I wanted to be a [mom] for the first time ever," she added.
There was one problem, however: Allen said she was single at the time and wanted to find “the right man” before starting a family.
Rebecca Allen and her partner Andrew Kirkwood with the twins Luna (LEFT) and Seren Kirkwood (RIGHT)
“I was in my late 30s, single and had cancer so it wasn't exactly good for my Tinder profile,” she joked.
Following her diagnosis, Allen had a radical trachelectomy — a surgery to “remove the cervix, the upper part of the vagina and surrounding supporting tissue,” according to the Canadian Cancer Society. The procedure is often done so women battling early-stage cervical cancer can have children in the future. However, those who have the surgery are often at a higher risk for miscarriage and have to deliver a baby via C-section.
Shortly after having the operation, Allen said she met the man she knew she would spend the rest of her life with.
“I knew within a few days that he was the one so when I got the all-clear at my six-month check-up we began trying for a baby,” she said, referring to her partner, 39-year-old Andrew Kirkwood.
Allen became pregnant but suffered a miscarriage at 10 weeks. About a month later, she learned she was pregnant again — this time with twins. Allen called the news a “shock.”
“Andrew and I were expecting bad news as it was a high-risk pregnancy so we agreed not to look at the screen – I had my eyes shut tight and tears rolling down my face,” she said of the ultrasound. “It was quiet in the room so I assumed there was no heartbeat. When the nurse told us to look, I couldn't believe my eyes to see two heartbeats.”
In June, at 34 weeks, Allen underwent an emergency C-section and ultimately delivered two healthy babies, Luna and Seren.
“It is quite moving to think I have not one but two miracle babies after believing I may never be a [mom],” she said. “I feel incredibly lucky to have twins, and I am completely head over heels in love with them.”
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