“I woke up one morning and Tony was just lathered in sweat and then he started vomiting,” Samantha told Daily Mail. “I got an ambulance to take him to hospital. We were sent home twice because they couldn’t work out what was wrong with him.

“That night … he couldn’t settle so I took him back to Chinchilla hospital where they kept him for three days but couldn’t work out what was wrong with him,” she added.

A later CT imaging scan uncovered the truth: Tony had a nearly 3-inch brain tumor that would require an immediate operation.

“Tony was out of hospital four days after that because he’s pretty tough,” Samantha said. “We were told he only had three months.”

With three weeks until the start of Tony’s radiation and chemotherapy treatments, the couple began family planning knowing they had always wanted to have children. That’s because certain types of cancer treatment has the potential to affect the fertility of the patient.

“We were going to go to a fertility clinic but I got pregnant almost immediately,” Samantha said. “You could say it was a bit of a miracle.”

Then, at her 12-week scan, Samantha received more shocking news she had early stage ovarian cancer, which is cancer that begins in the ovaries.

Ovarian Cancer: The Cancer that Whispers

“I had to have surgery at 14 weeks to remove the ovary and fallopian tube. It was exactly three months after Tony had had his surgery,” she said. “There was a risk of losing the baby but they had to remove it.”

Along Came the Miracle Babies

Thankfully, baby Wyatt arrived healthy in June 2020. But the miracles didn’t stop there.

Samantha was able to get pregnant again at the begining of 2022, despite only having one ovary. Tony and Samantha graciously welcomed baby Aspen to the world in September 2022.

Sadly, however, Tony received heartbreaking news just one day after his new baby’s birth. He had another tumor that was growing rapidly. For treatment, he had surgery followed by his ongoing six-month course of chemotherapy treatments.

Stay Positive, It Matters

“If you were to meet Tony you wouldn’t know that he’s been battling terminal brain cancer for nearly three years,” Samantha said. “His cancer is a very rare form. He’s considered a long-term survivor because life expectancy for his kind is a maximum of 12-14 months at the very best outcome.”

Despite the odds, Tony is living with as much optimism as ever. And Samantha thinks his attitude is helping him.

“It takes something like we’ve been through to make you realize just how precious it is to wake up and spend the day together as a family,” Samantha said. “It’s hard to say what is keeping Tony alive, but I think the main thing is his positivity and his strength.

“He really picks up people around him.”

Fertility and Cancer

Some cancer treatments may cause fertility issues, but it’s important to remember you have options. Fertility preservation, for example, is available to women of childbearing age.

Treating Ovarian Cancer, Preserving Fertility

Options for women include:

• Egg and embryo freezing (the most common practice)
• Ovarian tissue freezing
• Ovarian suppression to prevent the eggs from maturing so that they cannot be damaged during treatment.
• Ovarian transposition, for women getting radiation to the pelvis, to move the ovaries out of the line of treatment.

How Does Chemotherapy Affect Fertility?

No matter what course of action you take, it’s crucial that all women feel comfortable discussing their options prior to cancer treatment.

In a previous conversation with SurvivorNet, Dr. Jaime Knopman said time was precious when dealing with fertility preservation for women with cancer. In other words, the sooner the better when it comes to having these important fertility conversations with your doctor.

Freezing Eggs Or Embryos: What Should I Do?

"The sooner we start, the sooner that patient can then go on and do their treatment," Dr. Knopman explained. "A lot of the success comes down to how old you are at the time you froze and the quality of the lab in which your eggs or embryos are frozen in."

Dr. Knopman also says even patients who don't freeze their eggs or embryos before treatment still have the option of using an egg donor.

Ovarian Cancer Survivor Hillary Redwine On Fertility Options During Treatment

"We would help you select someone who you feel (has the) characteristics you would want to represent in your child," Dr. Knopman said. "We would use eggs, combine it with your partner's sperm, if there was a partner. And then you could carry the pregnancy."

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