Mum’s pregnancy turns out to be rare cancer

A mother who thought she was pregnant with her second child became heartbroken after she found out that it wasn’t a baby but a rare form of cancer.

Now, she’s been given a clean bill of  health thanks to early detection, prompt medical care and her family’s support.

Mirror UK reports:

Sonja Riley, 39, from Ashbourne, Derbyshire was delighted to find out she was expecting a little brother or sister for her two-year-old son Aj but after attending her first scan, doctors couldn’t find any trace of a child. Doctors later delivered the devastating news that Sonja had cancerous cells growing in her cervix.

Sonja said: “I went excitedly to my first ultrasound expecting to see a photo come out with the face of my baby – I couldn’t wait. But they couldn’t see anything there. There was no heartbeat and no baby. My body was telling me I was pregnant – I was having the sickness and the tiredness and everything and I just couldn’t understand it when they said there was no sign of a baby.”

Sonja was diagnosed with a suspected molar pregnancy, which is where instead of a baby, the egg does not fertilize properly and develops into a mass of cells which can be cancerous.

Despite two operations, tragically for Sonja, doctors from Weston Park Cancer Hospital in Sheffield told her a tumour had developed in her cervix.

The hairdresser, who featured in TV show The Salon in 2004, endured seven months of gruelling treatment.

Sonja said: “It was just like a shock. I had already lost my mum to cancer and my dad is overcoming cancer too. I thought: ‘surely not a third person in the family’. To go from thinking I’m pregnant to thinking ‘I’ve got cancer now’, I just couldn’t believe it. I thought of my family and whether the hospital will be able to treat me and whether I was going to come out the other end all right.”

Sonja had chemotherapy which left her with a burning sensation and sickness led to her losing a stone.

Constant exhaustion also made it difficult for her to run her hairdressing business, Diamond Geeza and look after her son.

Thankfully for Sonja she has now had the all clear and is getting her life back on track.

Sonja said: “It’s been horrendous. I’ve had a lot of support. My husband, Paul, lost a stone while I was ill but his employers have been very good and given him time off work to support me. And it’s been hard keeping my business going but I’ve been supported by friends. Now I’ve been given the all clear, it’s like walking on air. It’s an amazing feeling because I can get back to normal. I’m looking forward to getting my energy back.”

Source: mirror.co.uk