Your babies or your life

The choice Michelle faced was stark. Michelle Stepney, already mother to a four-year-old boy, was 19 weeks pregnant with twins when she was diagnosed with cervical cancer. 'The gynaecologist told me I could have lifesaving surgery the following day,' recalls Michelle. 'This would involve a radical hysterectomy - removing my womb and cervix - and would virtually guarantee my long-term survival without the need for any follow-up chemotherapy or radiotherapy, but it would mean ending the life of my unborn babies.' A few days later, with the decision still not made, Michelle contacted her cancer nurse. 'I told her I couldn't say goodbye to the twins and begged her to find another way to try and get the three of us through this nightmare alive.' Daily Mail