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Katie SmithA British woman who dared to get pregnant despite having a malignant brain tumor
Country:
 Great Britain |
Content:
- Katie Smith: A Courageous Journey
- A Difficult Decision
- A Frightening Diagnosis
- A Life-Changing Phone Call
- A Battle Begins
- A Race Against Time
- A Risky Pregnancy
Katie Smith: A Courageous Journey
Katie Smith, a 31-year-old British woman, made the brave decision to get pregnant despite having a malignant brain tumor. She is currently almost eight months pregnant with her first child, and she believes it is a boy due to his active movements. However, Katie's happiness is overshadowed by the understanding that her pregnancy hormones may pose a deadly threat and affect her brain cancer. Despite the risks, Katie stated, "Having a child means a lot to me, and I am willing to pay this price even if it costs me my life. But I don't know if I will be able to witness my son going to school, learning to drive, and falling in love."
A Difficult Decision
Just a few months before becoming pregnant, Katie discovered that she had a slowly growing malignant tumor in her brain. Some forms of cancer, like breast cancer, can grow in response to estrogen, a hormone produced in large quantities during pregnancy. However, it remains uncertain whether similar receptors exist in brain tumor cells and how they would respond to pregnancy hormones, according to Dr. Kieran Breen, the head of Brain Tumor Research.
For Katie and her 32-year-old husband, Luke, a learning and development manager, deciding to have a child became the most challenging choice of their lives. The couple met in June 2012, and their relationship quickly turned serious. Katie recalls, "We talked about settling down and starting a family." They got married in July 2015, but just 90 days after their honeymoon, Katie received the devastating news about her illness.
A Frightening Diagnosis
Last year, Katie occasionally suffered from migraines, but she didn't worry too much about them. During her honeymoon, she experienced episodes of dizziness, which she attributed to low blood sugar, sun exposure, excessive alcohol consumption, or hormonal changes after stopping her birth control pills.
Upon returning home to West Midlands, Katie started her new job as the head of the English department at a school for children with special needs. Her headaches persisted for several weeks, but she attributed them to the stress of adjusting to her new workplace. Then one day, she experienced a strange tingling sensation that spread from her pinky finger up her left arm. After seeing multiple doctors and being diagnosed with migraines each time, Katie's pain became so intense that she passed out. Her mother took her to the emergency room, where migraines were once again mentioned, and she was given strong painkillers.
Four days after her visit to the emergency room, Katie returned to her general practitioner, luckily seeing a different doctor this time. After a series of simple tests, he immediately ordered an urgent MRI scan without revealing his suspicions to Katie. A week later, she underwent the scan and was told that the results would be available in 14 days.
A Life-Changing Phone Call
However, just one day after the scan, when Katie arrived home from work around 7 pm, her doctor called her. "We found something," the voice on the phone said. "You have very high intracranial pressure, and you must come to the hospital immediately." In the hospital, doctors administered a large dose of steroids to reduce the tumor in her brain. One of the doctors, candidly explained why they chose this treatment for Katie.
Katie recalls, "I experienced genuine horror, but at the same time, I felt relief because the cause of my excruciating pain had been revealed. The doctors were not sure if the tumor was cancerous or benign. But that same night, I underwent an MRI and CT scan to determine if it was a primary or secondary tumor that had spread to my brain from elsewhere."
A Battle Begins
The tests revealed a 6 cm primary tumor in the frontal part of Katie's brain. She was transferred to a specialized neurological surgery center in Birmingham. A week later, Professor Gart Cruickshank, a consulting neurosurgeon, successfully removed 90% of the tumor in a five-hour operation.
After a month, Katie received the results of a biopsy, which confirmed that she had stage two cancer, a slow-growing tumor. "I felt so relieved that I even high-fived Luke," Katie recalls. However, Professor Cruickshank explained that the future could follow one of three scenarios: no changes, regrowth of the tumor classified as stage two cancer, or aggressive growth leading to high-grade malignancy. He also didn't hide the fact that in one out of three cases, the tumor would return within five years.
A Race Against Time
Later, another tragedy struck Katie's family when her mother was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Realizing that time was limited if she wanted to make her mother a grandmother and give her the chance to hold her grandchild, Katie and Luke extensively discussed their options. Katie revealed, "We talked about it endlessly. I didn't know if I should bring a child into this world when I could potentially lose my mother at such a young age."
During their next meeting with Professor Cruickshank, Katie asked, "Can we start trying to have a family now?" He replied, "If you're planning on doing it, the time is now." At that moment, Katie had just turned 30. When she asked about her chances of surviving until the age of 40, Professor Cruickshank estimated them at 50/50.
A Risky Pregnancy
In September 2016, seven months after their meeting with the professor, Katie became pregnant. Her pregnancy is considered high risk due to her epilepsy episodes triggered by either the surgery or the tumor itself. She is expected to deliver her child via caesarean section. "After the birth, I will undergo brain scans every six months," Katie reveals. "If the tumor starts growing, I can undergo chemotherapy and radiation therapy. I only plan my life for six months ahead, until the next scan. I have come to terms with the fact that I may not witness important milestones in my son's life."
Katie concludes, "I don't know what the future holds. But no one can take away the joy of motherhood from me."
