Advertisement

Perth mum diagnosed with cancer two hours before giving birth

A Western Australian mother was just two hours away from giving birth to her second child when she was told she had a large tumour on her bowel.

While she had experienced symptoms Kim McConnell’s pregnancy meant doctors were unable to conduct the necessary tests at the risk of inducing early labour.

Click here to donate to the McConell's GoFundMe page.

Two hours before giving birth to her son tests results came back revealing she had an 11-centimetre tumour about to perforate her bowel with even more bad news to follow.

Kim and Mike McConell were dealt a hearbreaking blow just hours before their son, Jai, was born. Source: Facebook
Kim and Mike McConell were dealt a hearbreaking blow just hours before their son, Jai, was born. Source: Facebook
Already the mother of one little girl, Kim McConell now wants to use her cancer battle to warn other expecting mothers to have regular checkups during their pregnancies. Source: Facebook
Already the mother of one little girl, Kim McConell now wants to use her cancer battle to warn other expecting mothers to have regular checkups during their pregnancies. Source: Facebook

“My surgeon had hoped it was localised and only stage two, but after the scan they said it was stage four and had spread to liver,” the 31-yer-old mum told the Daily Mail.

“I had surgery the following day where they removed a large part of my bowel and one of the two spots on my liver.”

The brave mum remains positive about her chances of beating the deadly cancer, combining regular chemotherapy appointments with natural treatments to cover all bases.

"It’s very confronting and you can mentally slide very quickly, so you need to get yourself out of the mental headspace of dying."

The Perth woman was told the tumour’s rapid growth was likely enhanced by her pregnancy hormones and has led her to encourage other expecting mothers to regularly check their bodies if they think something is miscue.

The mother was told her tumour had progressed to her liver. Source: Facebook
The mother was told her tumour had progressed to her liver. Source: Facebook
A GoFundMe page has been set up to help with the rising chemothearpy costs. Source: Facebook
A GoFundMe page has been set up to help with the rising chemothearpy costs. Source: Facebook

“Normally bowel cancer can take 10 years to develop... but in young people it can develop within three years,” she said.

Adding to the mental and physical woes, the young mum said the treatment was also financially detrimental to her growing family.

In an attempt to help the family with the financial burden friends set up a GoFundMe page to assist in working towards the family's goal of cure.