Samantha Cook had always wanted to be a mum, but a shock diagnosis of ovarian cancer in her first pregnancy left her fearing her dream of having a family would never come true.
Sam, from Blackall in outback Queensland, was 34 years old when she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer, just three months after her now husband Tony received his own life-changing news. The 52-year-old sheep shearer was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer had just months to live.
Husband’s Terminal Diagnosis Led to Miracle Pregnancy
It was 2019 when the couple were thrown into parenthood. They’d been together for two years but if it hadn’t been for Tony’s terminal diagnosis, they wouldn’t have tried for a baby so soon. He already had three grown-up children from a previous marriage, and Sam hadn’t considered kids just yet but their sudden change of circumstances meant they had to.
“Doctors told us we had three weeks to ‘work something out’ after Tony’s diagnosis,” she says, forcing them to consider different fertility options because the cancer treatment meant he’d likely become sterile.
“Incredibly, we fell pregnant with Wyatt just eight days after Tony underwent an operation to remove the brain tumour.”
It was during Sam’s 12-week scan at Mater Mothers’ Hospital in South Brisbane that doctors identified a “suspicious tumour” on one of her ovaries.
Early Detection And Surgery Saved Sam’s Life
Just two weeks after her diagnosis, gynaecological oncologist Dr Nimithri Cabraal removed Mrs Cook’s left ovary and a fallopian tube to prevent the cancer from spreading – enabling her to continue her pregnancy and give birth to her first baby.
Despite the fact that ovarian cancer is Australia’s deadliest female cancer, with a five-year survival rate of just 49%, Dr Cabraal says ovarian cancer in young women was “unusual” and exceptionally rare in women carrying babies.
“We only see a handful of young women diagnosed with ovarian cancer at Mater each year – and maybe only one or two who are pregnant,” says Dr Cabraal.
“I operated on Samantha during her second trimester to reduce the risk of miscarriage. It was a small tumour and we have seen no evidence of reoccurrence.”
Bronwyn Jennings, a clinical nurse consultant at Mater says it’s thanks to the fact Sam’s cancer was caught early that the mum of two hasn’t needed any further treatment.
“If Sam’s cancer was not detected and acted upon, this could have delayed her diagnosis, leading to upstaging of her disease,” Ms Jennings said.
“This could have led to requiring other treatments like chemotherapy, which would have meant lengthy periods of time away from home.
“Additionally, this could potentially have led to her cancer not being curable. While this is a difficult diagnosis at any age, for someone so young like Sam, with a small family, this would have been truly devastating.”
“My Husband’s Diagnosis Saved Mine And Our Unborn Baby’s Lives”
Sam now has two “miracle babies” she adores – Wyatt, who’s two and a half years old, and Aspen, four months.
Sam says that although she was nervous about the possibility of losing her babies at the time, the team at Mater gave her confidence to continue her pregnancies.
“Wyatt arrived happy and healthy just six months after I was diagnosed with ovarian cancer,” she says. “And a few months ago, we had little Aspen to complete our family.”
“If it wasn’t for Tony’s diagnosis we wouldn’t have tried for a family at that time. My husband’s diagnosis saved my life and that of my unborn baby. Thankfully my cancer was detected at an early stage,” she adds.
As Sam cuddles her two children, she says the only symptom she could associate with her cancer was experiencing pain during intercourse when close to her menstrual cycle.
“I’m still unaware if that had anything to do with the ovarian cancer, but I’ve never had the pain again since surgery,” she says.
Sam is currently monitored by the Gynaecology-Oncology unit at Mater as well as the hospital’s FOG service (Flying Obstetrics and Gynaecological).
Focused on Tony’s health and the wellbeing of their children, Sam says she has little time to worry about her own diagnosis.
“Tony has just undergone his second craniotomy and has begun chemotherapy treatment again,” she shares. “We’ve focused on enjoying every day that we have together as a family, there’s not much else I need.
“Our children are too young to understand, but they will be told when they’re old enough.”
