“I was diagnosed with cancer a year ago – now I’ve found love and I’m having a baby!”
After receiving devastating news, workaholic Monika Kazlowska reassessed her priorities – and is now happier than ever
When Monika Kazlowska was diagnosed with thyroid cancer in January 2020, she sobbed alone on the floor of her flat trying to take in the life-changing news.
With her family all in Poland, and living in London with no partner, Monika threw herself into work to try to take her mind off the diagnosis.
After undergoing surgery to remove her thyroid gland, the 31-year-old fulfilment coach was left devastated when doctors said her fertility may be affected if she needed any further treatment.
The ordeal forced Monika to take stock and change her life. Monika says, “I realised just how unhappy I was. I’d put my personal life on hold to build a career I was proud of – but when the call came to tell me I had cancer, I realised none of that actually mattered. I had no one to come with me to hospital appointments and hold my hand.”
SOULMATE
Monika decided to focus on her personal life and not only did she meet her soulmate in March, she’s now pregnant with her first child.
She smiles, “Not many people would describe cancer as a gift, but it gave me the wake-up call I needed. Now, I am the happiest I’ve ever been.”
Monika moved from Warsaw, in Poland, to the UK in August 2010, after falling in love with the capital. She says, “I found a flat share in Notting Hill and got a job hiring office space and shift work in a local bar.
“My only day off was Sunday. I was always taught to work hard for what you want, so I made it my priority. Then, in 2018, I switched career and after training I set up as a fulfilment coach, helping people to achieve their dreams. And even though I was working six days a week, I really loved it.
“I’d go on dates, but my heart was never in it as I didn’t want a relationship to get in the way of my job. I told myself I’d find someone eventually and assumed I’d have a family when the time was right.”
Then in January 2020, Monika – who as a teenager had been diagnosed with Hashimoto’s disease, which causes the immune system to attack the thyroid gland – had an ultrasound after a routine blood test showed something wasn’t quite right. However, the scan uncovered a nodule in Monika’s thyroid and a biopsy was later taken.
She says, “I was terrified and despite having a flatmate and some great friends, I’d never felt so lonely – I held my breath every time my phone rang and focused on work.
“A week later I got the devastating call to tell me I had cancer and would need to have surgery to remove my thyroid, and that my fertility could be affected by the radioactive iodine treatment that I might need post-op.
I felt so alone and couldn’t stop crying.”
Monika’s procedure was scheduled for February 2020,
and she was heartbroken when she found out her mum couldn’t be with her.
She explains, “Due to the escalating situation with COVID19, my mum was concerned about flying over to the UK.
TORMENTED
“I struggled to keep positive. Thoughts of a future without kids tormented me and I felt short-sighted for not having prioritised my love life.
“I told myself after the surgery that I was going to live each day as if it were my last, and dedicate time to finding someone I could share my life with.”
After being discharged, Monika downloaded a dating app. She says, “I quickly matched with Andy, 44, a content designer and we began messaging each other.
“I told him about my cancer, and he was incredibly supportive – he even offered
❛ I TOLD MYSELF AFTER THE SURGERY THAT I WAS GOING TO LIVE EACH DAY AS IF IT WERE MY LAST ❜
to drive me to appointments so I wouldn’t be alone.
“We went on a date two weeks later in central London and there was so much chemistry. We had one more date before the UK went into lockdown in March. He made me laugh hysterically and I felt so comfortable around him.
From then on, we had a virtual date every weekend – and learned everything about each other.”
Then in June 2020, Monika received the call she was waiting for. She says, “My doctor told me I was cancerfree and wouldn’t need the radioactive iodine treatment so my fertility wouldn’t be affected. I cried with happiness.
“I still have to have scans each year because there is always a risk the cancer could come back – but I felt like I’d been given a second chance.”
DELIGHTED
Then, in September, Monika had some more good news.
She says, “I found out that I was pregnant! After the diagnosis, my periods became irregular, but we hadn’t been trying. I just assumed it would be impossible to fall pregnant this quickly.
“It was only when I found myself craving salty crisps that I realised my period was very late and decided to do a test. We were both surprised but delighted.
“I had an early scan on 18 September and that’s when Andy and I heard our baby’s heartbeat for the first time. We teared-up looking at the monitor screen.”
Last month, the couple moved into their first home together in Tunbridge Wells, Kent, and are preparing for their baby’s arrival in May.
She says, “Getting my cancer diagnosis made me realise there is a lot more to life than a career. I’ll always be a hard worker, but I’m not going to take things to such extremes again. Cancer gave me the opportunity to restart my life – and now I’m not going to waste a second!”
By Kaya Terry
● Follow more about Monika’s journey via her website Monikakozlowska.com