'I feel like we’ve won the lottery': Pregnant woman who refused cancer treatment to
save unborn baby makes miraculous recovery
Jo Powell, 41, discovered lump in her breast days after finding out she was pregnant with first child
28 August 2012
dailymail.co.uk
Miracle babes: Jo Powell risked her own life by refusing treatment for breast cancer during her pregnancy with son
Jake
A mother who refused treatment for breast cancer after discovering she was pregnant has amazed
doctors by making a miracle recovery. Jo Powell and her husband Richard were thrilled when they
discovered she was pregnant, after years of trying for a baby. But their joy turned to devastation when,
just days later, doctors revealed Mrs Powell had cancer - and recommended they terminate the
pregnancy. Mrs Powell, 41, from Newark, Nottinghamshire, ignored doctors’ advice, refusing to start lifesaving treatment until her baby was nearly full-term. Amazingly, her gamble paid off and now two years
after first being first diagnosed, Mrs Powell not only has a healthy little boy called Jake, but has also
been told her cancer will not return. Mrs Powell, an administrator, said: 'When I heard the word "cancer",
my first thought was "I’m going to lose my baby". 'I just couldn’t believe what they were saying to me. It
was like I was in a living nightmare. Richard and I had been trying for a baby for years and we were
convinced it wasn’t going to happen for us, so Jake was so special. 'I knew we couldn’t give up on our
baby, there was no way I was going to sacrifice him to save myself. I knew that even if I didn’t make it,
I would have brought a life into the world. 'We’re just thrilled that we can finally be a happy, healthy
family after all we’ve been through.' The couple's joy over Mrs Powell's pregnancy quickly turned to
despair in 2010 when she discovered a lump on her breast. Doctors at Nottingham City hospital warned
they could not begin treatment while Mrs Powell was in the early stages of pregnancy and advised her to
consider aborting the baby. Medics explained that Mrs Powell's cancer was aggravated by her hormones
and being pregnant could cause the disease to grow faster. But the mother-to-be was adamant she
wanted to fight for the couple's longed for child. Surgeons eventually agreed to postpone her treatment
for nearly six months, but insisted on removing the tumours on Mrs Powell's breast. She said: 'The
doctors really listened to what I wanted and came up with a plan to delay my treatment. It was really
risky but it has paid off. 'I agreed to have an operation to remove my lymph nodes when I was 10 weeks
pregnant, which was really dangerous. But after the operation they scanned my tummy and I could hear
Jake’s little heartbeat.
Risky: Mrs Powell did agree to have an operation to remove the lymph nodes from her breast when she was 10
weeks pregnant but was relieved to hear Jake's heartbeat following the surgery
Tiny bundle: Painter and decorator Richard had to look after his new baby son and care for his wife after she spent
weeks in hospital, eventually undergoing a mastectomy following the birth
'I knew then I was doing the right thing. It was an amazing moment and inspired me to keep fighting.
Just knowing he was in my tummy gave me the strength to keep going on. 'I had dreamed that my
pregnancy would be such a happy time, but instead of all my friends and family congratulating me they
were all saying "I’m so sorry you have cancer".' Medics were able to delay treatment until Mrs Powell
was five months’ pregnant. It was only then that they started to give her small doses of chemotherapy.
Luckily, the treatment has had no damaging effect on Jake, who was born just before Christmas 2010.
Lucky: Mrs Powell said: 'Two years ago, I felt like our lives were falling apart. Now, I couldn't be happier. I feel like
we're the luckiest family in the world'
Healthy boy: Luckily, Mrs Powell's cancer treatment has had no damaging effect on Jake, who was born just before
Christmas 2010
As soon as the tot was born Mrs Powell had to undergo intensive treatment which left her fighting for her
life. Painter and decorator Richard, 30, had to look after his new baby son and care for his wife after she
spent weeks in hospital, eventually undergoing a mastectomy. But now Mrs Powell has been told she
needs no further treatment and doctors do not expect the cancer to return. She said: 'I feel like we’ve
won the lottery. I’m the luckiest woman in the world. Richard was so strong for me, he has been my
rock. He has since told me that he was terrified when I said that I wanted to delay treatment, but he
wholeheartedly stood by my decision. 'He never let me know how scared he was. He just stayed strong
for Jake and me. Two years ago, I felt like our lives were falling apart. Now, I couldn’t be happier. I feel
like we’re the luckiest family in the world. 'Jake is such a happy little boy. I was really worried that the
small doses of chemo would have affected him in some way, but he’s just like any other little boy his
age. 'He is so bright and cheery. I look at him now and I know the hell we went through for him was
worth it.'
Mom Who Refused Cancer Treatment to Save Unborn Baby Recovers
LifeNews.com | 8/29/12 5:13 PM
Out of England comes a miraculous story of a courageous mother, 41-year-old Jo Powell, who discovered
a lump on her breast days after finding out she was pregnant with first child. Powell refused to start
treatment until later in her pregnancy so she would not harm or kill her unborn child. In similar cases,
doctors suggest an abortion, but, as studies show, there is no need for women to destroy the life of their
unborn child to save their own.
It is a decision no expectant mother should have to face. After years of trying for a baby, Jo Powell
finally discovered that she was pregnant. But her delight turned to despair days later when doctors found
she had breast cancer and advised her to sacrifice her unborn child’s life in order to save her own by
beginning chemotherapy. Mrs Powell defied the doctors, however, and refused to start the treatment
until much later in her pregnancy, in a gamble that could have cost her her life. Miraculously, she and
her husband Richard are now celebrating with their young son, Jake, after being told that she has beaten
the cancer. Mrs Powell, 41, an office administrator, said yesterday: ‘When I heard the word cancer my
first thought was, “I’m going to lose my baby.” “It was like I was in a living nightmare. We had been
trying for a baby for years, and we were convinced it wasn’t going to happen for us, so Jake was so
special. I knew we couldn’t give up on our baby. There was no way I was going to sacrifice him to save
myself.” “I knew that even if I didn’t make it, I would have brought a life into the world.” Mrs Powell was
told that if she chose to keep her unborn child she would have to delay chemotherapy until later in her
pregnancy when her baby would be strong enough to survive it. The doctors advised her to consider an
abortion, explaining that her cancer was aggravated by her hormones and that the pregnancy could help
the disease grow faster. However, LifeNews, in April covered a collection of stories from The Lancet, a
prominent British medical journal, showing pregnant women don’t need to have an abortion in order to
get treatment for cancer. The information shows chemo treatment does not harm the unborn baby and
mothers can treat themselves for cancer without worrying about effects on the unborn child. In 2009,
LifeNews.com reported on a new study showing doctors don’t need to suggest an abortion to pregnant
women who want cancer treatment. The study involved a concept called pregnancy associated breast
cancer — breast cancer that is diagnosed when a woman is pregnant or within a year after delivery. The
mainstream media highlighted the study as if it showed a new concept, somehow finally dismissing the
notion that pregnant women undergoing breast cancer treatment should have an abortion. But Dr. Joel
Brind, a Baruch College professor says studies have shown that for decades. “Actually, this finding has
been reported many times in the last 15 years,” Brind explained. “Unfortunately, many doctors still
recommend abortion for women diagnosed with breast cancer while pregnant, so that they can treat the
cancer more aggressively. This is despite worldwide research going back as far as the 1930’s that shows
that so-called ‘therapeutic abortion’ substantially shortens lifespan, whereas carrying the pregnancy to
term makes long-term cure more likely,” he said. Brind says that a 1976 review of all studies published to
that point, conducted by French doctor P. Juret, reported that, “The futility of therapeutic abortion is now
certain.” Although the study isn’t the revelation the mainstream media claimed, Brind says it is quite
useful. “What the new story out of MD Anderson shows is that women in this particular situation —
which are only about 3% of all breast cancers — have no worse a prognosis than women with the same
stage of breast cancer who are not pregnant,” he said. “But what is most important about the current
report is the absence of any data about abortion, i.e., a difference in prognosis as a function of whether
or not the pregnant patient aborts the baby,” he explained. “To their credit, doctors at MD Anderson
have, for at least the last several years, been very good at treating both patients: Mom and her unborn
child.” “Hopefully, the current report will be yet another nail in the coffin of ‘therapeutic abortion,’” he
told LifeNews.com.