Cancer dad’s tears of happiness over his wee bundle of joy
Alisdair wept with delight at wife’s surprise package
10.10.2018 A cancer-stricken dad from Paisley was moved to tears when his wife revealed she was pregnant – despite doctors warning that life saving treatment had left him infertile.
Bank worker Alisdair Cameron, 32, was undergoing cancer treatment in the Royal Alexandra Hospital, when his wife Natalie surprised him with a unique parcel.
Alisdair couldn’t believe his eyes when he unwrapped a series of clues that led him to reveal a positive pregnancy test kit.
He said: “It was just such an amazing shock.
“I had no idea that Natalie was pregnant – we thought that was impossible.”
Baby Leo was born on March 14, nine months after Alisdair was told his cancer had returned for the second time.
He was originally diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia in January 2016 when Natalie, a GP in Paisley, was three months pregnant with their first son Joe.
Alisdair underwent both chemotherapy and radiotherapy and had sperm samples frozen after doctors warned him his treatment would leave him infertile.
The soon-to-be dad was forced to spend much of his time in hospital in isolation, with just a pregnancy scan photo by his bedside.
Luckily, Alisdair’s treatment ended days before Joe was born on June 16 and he was able to be at Natalie’s side for his son’s delivery.
Less than a year later, he was dealt another crushing blow when doctors warned him that the disease may have returned.
Days after celebrating Joe’s first and Natalie’s 30th birthdays, Alisdair was diagnosed with cancer for the second time.
He returned to hospital to resume another gruelling round of radiotherapy and chemotherapy before doctors confirmed that his only chance of survival was to have a stem cell transplant.
Six weeks later Natalie, 31, discovered she was pregnant and rushed to the hospital to surprise her husband with the news.
Natalie said: “When I first saw the pregnancy test was positive, I just burst into happy tears. I couldn’t believe it. I was just over the moon.
“Alisdair was having such a hard time coming to terms with the fact he needed more cancer treatment, I couldn’t wait to tell him.
“I wanted to surprise him and cheer him up so I made up a parcel up with clues and made Alisdair guess what the news was.
“In the centre of the parcel was the pregnancy test. When he got to that layer of the parcel, Alisdair just burst into tears. He couldn’t believe it either.”
Despite the excitement over the new addition to their family, Alisdair’s health began to deteriorate rapidly.
He developed a rare condition called Graft Versus Host Disease where the immune system attacks the rest of the body and at one point nearly died from sepsis.
Thanks to cutting edge treatment, Alisdair made a full recovery and was able to return home just in time to spend Christmas with Natalie and Joe and prepare the house for baby Leo’s arrival.
Alisdair said: “Throughout it all, I’ve never said ‘why me’ or played the ‘poor me’ card. I have struggled mentally with what the consequences of what having cancer could mean but I’ve also been lucky to have the support of Natalie, my family and my pals.
“They’ve been with me every step of the way.
“I’m eternally grateful to Natalie. She’s been amazing bringing up two young boys and looking after me.
“It’s a lot to juggle. Every minute with my family is precious and I’m so grateful to be here with them.”
Alisdair has shared his ordeal for Stand Up to Cancer, which runs throughout October and will culminate with a night of live TV on Channel 4 on October 26.