MUM-to-be Megan McQuade’s life was saved thanks to her unborn baby when a scan revealed she had bladder cancer.
Megan, 29, had suffered no symptoms and was just enjoying being pregnant when she went for her first ultrasound.
Megan McQuade’s life was saved thanks to her unborn baby, pictured with partner Michael JohnsonEvening Gazette
Megan’s baby scan revealed she had bladder cancer, pictured with sister KateEvening Gazette
But the nurse delivered the devastating news that as well as a healthy heartbeat she had also detected a suspicious mass.
After further checks primary school teacher Megan was told that it was almost certainly cancerous and warned that surgery to remove it could harm the baby.
She was also given the heart-breaking news that if she needed chemotherapy it would mean the end of her pregnancy.
Despite the risks to her baby she knew she had no choice but to go ahead with surgery to remove the mass.
After the procedure doctors gave her the news that although it was a cancerous tumour, it was low grade meaning she didn’t need chemo.
Her unborn baby had also been unharmed by the surgery.
Overjoyed Megan, of Stockton-on-Tees, County Durham, said: “The consultant said it had gone well and that everything should be fine.
“It felt like a miracle.
“He said it was the lowest possible form of cancer and they wouldn’t recommend any further treatment.
“The relief was unbelievable. I couldn’t believe we had come out the other side.
“If the baby had been any earlier or any later, my tumour might not have been spotted or it might have been too late – it was perfect timing.
“Everything happens for a reason and this baby was meant to come at this time to save my life.”
Megan and fiancée, Michael Johnson, 29, a process operator, are now looking forward to the birth in July.
And she is warning others about the danger of bladder cancer.
She said: “After doing some research I’ve realised it’s quite common but it’s rarely talked about.
“Things like not drinking enough water and not going to the toilet enough can bring it on.
“Teaching is a hard profession and you put these basic things to the back of your list but now I put my health first and I would encourage everyone to do the same.
“I don’t want people to go through what I’ve been through.”