Mum's selfless act to save her miracle baby Izabelle

12:40pm Friday 27th February 2009

Exclusive By Charley Morgan

A MUM forced to make an agonising choice between having a baby or undergoing vital chemotherapy treatment for an aggressive form of bone cancer is celebrating after the birth of her ‘miracle’ daughter Izabelle.

Kate Coles, 30, and her husband Matt, 34, were told they may never have children after she was diagnosed with osteosarcoma in her left jawbone just a week after returning from honeymoon in August 2007, and underwent an operation to remove the cancerous lump and six months of the most intensive form of chemotherapy.

Soon after their first wedding anniversary, the couple were overjoyed to discover Mrs Cole was pregnant.

But the joy was shortlived as doctors found another lump. Mrs Coles was given the choice of having the cancer treated or continuing with her pregnancy.

Mrs Coles said: “When the doctors told us I was pregnant I was overwhelmed – it was the best news in the world. She is a miracle baby.

“Doctors said ‘You need to make a choice between whether you are going to stay pregnant or whether you are going to treat the cancer. `I told them, ‘She is a miracle baby, there is no choice to make’.”

In order to resume her treatment, Mrs Coles gave birth to 3lbs 3oz Izabelle Summer Florence Coles nine weeks early by planned caesarean section at St Michael’s Hospital in Bristol on Wednesday, February 18, at 10.55am.

After Mrs Coles made the choice to have Izabelle, doctors treated her with one session of chemotherapy while pregnant. They then waited until she had given birth to continue her treatment so it would not harm the baby.

Since Izabelle’s birth Mrs Coles has had more tests and has been told the cancer has spread to two other places.

Mr and Mrs Coles, of St John’s Crescent in Trowbridge, had been trying to have a baby for some time and had started fertility treatment after having difficulty conceiving.

The couple married at St Nicholas Church, North Bradley in August 2007 and honeymooned in South Africa. Mrs Coles discovered the first lump in her mouth before the wedding and had it removed the day after returning from honeymoon.

When the results came back a week later, she was told she had a rare form of osteosarcoma in her left mandible, or jawbone, and started treatment. She said: “It was horrendous, I was ill all the time. But I’m such a fighter, I won’t let it beat me.”

After the first treatment the couple went on holiday to Italy. When they returned they discovered that Mrs Coles was pregnant.

Izabelle has to stay in an incubator for up to eight weeks. The couple are staying in a room next door.

They say they have received constant support from Mrs Coles’ parents Shirley and John Martin, their Macmillan nurse and Mr Coles’ employer Wessex Water.

Mr Coles said: “The little one is doing really well. We are going to have her christened in a chapel in the hospital on Saturday.

“It’s something we always wanted to have done anyway but circumstances being the way they are, we thought we would have it done here..”

Of her illness Mrs Coles added: “I don’t care what they say, I’m just going to keep on fighting.”

If you would like to leave a message of support for the Coles family please leave a comment below.