Miracle Nel born as mum fought cancer

SCHOOLGIRL Nel Williams has been described as a “stick of dynamite” who loves nothing more than watching football, performing on stage and playing the piano.

But according to medical science it’s a miracle the energetic 10-year-old was even born – because her doting mum was clinically infertile at the time of conception.

Kate Williams was diagnosed with an aggressive form of breast cancer in 2005, after spotting a large lump under her armpit.

She underwent a lumpectomy and a mastectomy when the cancer was found to have spread, and that was followed by intensive chemotherapy, which severely affects fertility.

Despite being under the cosh of cancer-beating drug herceptin, Kate discovered she was expecting her third child – one of just a handful in the world known to have conceived during such arduous treatment.

“It was all absolutely terrifying,” said Kate, 47, who lives in Penarth.

“We went for a scan at four weeks and in the middle of this big, black abyss we were staring at this bright, beating light which was her heart.

“My husband [Huw] said at the time that she ‘deserved a cuddle’ so we made the decision to stop my chemotherapy.

“We didn’t know what the condition would be of the foetus, or whether she’d be disabled when she was born, but she’d survived this far so we wanted to give her a chance.”

Kate said she knew she was taking a huge gamble by coming off herceptin during pregnancy but her oncologist assured her she was in good physical shape and responding well to treatment.

“It was quite an agonising decision because I was running the risk of my two other children losing their mum,” she said.

“But the staff at Velindre Cancer Centre, as well as my midwife, who’d been there for the delivery of my two other children, were fantastic.”

Daughter Nel was born at their former home in Pontcanna, Cardiff, on October 23, weighing a very healthy 8lb 9oz.

“They monitored her throughout the pregnancy and she was growing fine,” Kate added.

“The only thing she had ‘wrong’ with her was having just one kidney but that’s not an irregular occurrence.”

Nel, a pupil at Albert Primary School in Penarth, has now decided to shave off all her hair for Velindre Cancer Centre in honour of her mum and nan Susie Beer, who has stage four breast cancer.

All of Nel’s shoulder-length hair will be given to the Little Princess Trust, a charity which makes real hair wigs for children facing cancer.

In just two days Nel has raised more than £750 for Velindre Cancer Centre.

■ To donate, go to www.justgiving. com/fundraising/Nel-Williams