CANCER MOTHER Amazing brother who will raise his sister’s miracle newborn
IT looks the perfect family snap of a doting new mum and dad with their newborn son.
But behind this heartwarming picture lies a terrifying tragedy – and a moving testament to the power of sibling love.
Because smiling mum Nicola, 28, is dying of cancer.
And the man with his arm around her is not her baby’s father – but the remarkable brother who will raise her little son as his own after she has gone.
Dad-of-two Graeme, 29, and his wife Christina offered to adopt eight-week-old Archer after the lad’s real dad asked not to have any involvement.
Nicola says: “The moment I looked into Archer’s eyes, it was perfect. It was like everything I ever wanted was right there.
“It makes it better knowing I can see the people who are going to be caring for him. Archer’s not just like my baby, he’s all of ours.”
Little Archer’s very existence is a miracle in itself.
Because Nicola fell pregnant with him during a fling with an old flame after being told by doctors that the treatment for her terminal brain cancer would leave her infertile.
Now she is determined to enjoy every precious second with her son, while balancing the joy of being a new mum with the heartbreak of knowing she will not be there for him as he grows up.
She’s already been shopping for birthday, graduation and even wedding cards for him for years to come. She has also made videos to help Archer find out about his mum.
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And she’s making sure he has an extra special bond with his remarkable uncle and aunt who have two ready-made siblings for him – Aaron, aged five months, and Elijah, 22 months.
Nicola says: “It’s a huge relief for me, knowing he will be with my family, having seen how my brother is bringing up his sons.”
Graeme, 29, adds: “We’re making arrangements to go and see Archer on a regular basis, with our boys. They’ll be a little group when they’re growing up together.
“I don’t know anyone who has been through what Nicola has been through and been so strong.”
Doctors diagnosed her with aggressive stage four cancer glioblastoma multiforme in 2015 – and gave her a year to live after removing a tennis ball-sized growth and giving her chemotherapy and radiotherapy.
Nicola, who then already had two children – a daughter, six, and son, nine, now living with their dad – declined an offer to freeze her eggs.
So she was astonished when she found she was pregnant after dating an old flame.
“It was a shock. They didn’t think I would make another year,” says Nicola. “It’s just so unreal.
“But I’ve been in love with him since he was just a bump.”
Despite her prognosis, Nicola did not think twice about keeping her baby. “When I first found I was pregnant a lot of people said I was wrong to continue with it knowing the end result,” she adds.
“But I knew it was the right thing to do. It was a light at the end of the tunnel. I have had my life taken away from me and I was told it was the end. Now I have a life to give.”
After she broke the news of her pregnancy, her family gathered to discuss the future. When Graeme offered to adopt her baby Nicola burst into tears of joy and relief.
The two have always been close. Graeme says: “When we were children we always played house.
“Nicola loves children and she’s always happy to see my kids.
“My wife brought it up that we could adopt Archer, but it had been on my mind. When I spoke to Nicola about it, she started crying and said it was a huge weight off hers.”
Nicola adds: “It was the first thing we started to discuss – what was best for the baby. Archer will be adopted by Graeme as soon as my illness starts to progress into the final stages.”
Sadly, that day seems to be drawing closer after a second tumour was found.
A week after Archer’s birth by C-section in August weighing 7lbs 4oz, Graeme travelled to his sister’s home in Fleetwood, Lancs, to meet him. But within days Nicola was readmitted to hospital with health