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PREGNANT After Two Courses of Chemo, Radiotherapy, a Mastectomythen Reconstruction Surgery and Bravely Battling Breast Cancer Twice ; EXCLUSIVE:MANDY's MILLION TO ONE BABYILLION TO ONE BABY

Posted on: Sunday, 17 April 2005, 09:00 CDT

HAIRDRESSER Mandy McMillan gave up her hopes of becoming a mum to concentrate on fighting breast cancer.

Diagnosed with the disease aged just 27, doctors said the treatment had left her no chance of having children.

But the baby now growing inside her had other ideas.

After two courses of chemotherapy,a bout of radiotherapy, a mastectomy and reconstruction surgery PLUS a recurrence of the cancer, Mandy became pregnant.

She will enter medical history books as one of only seven women in the world to have a baby while taking anti-breast cancer drug Herceptin.

And as they pat her seven-and-a-half month bump, Mandy and husband Scott, 32, are convinced this little miracle was meant to be.

'The doctors are as amazed as we are,' says Mandy, 30, from Muirhead, Glasgow.

'We didn't even realise until I was four-and-a-half months pregnantMandy missed all the symptoms of early pregnancy because she didn't for a minute think she could be expecting.

'I was putting on weight, feeling sick and I had terrible heartburn,'she says.

'I was starting to worry because my breast was becoming painful and swollen. I was going through all sorts of tests to see what the problem was. But I never thought I could be pregnant. I'd only finished chemotherapy for the second time a few monthsbefore.

'Now it's like our own wee miracle.' And though pregnancy means she's had to forego regular CT scans - which check for any changes in her cancer cells - Mandy is prepared to take that chance.

'I've always been a pretty positive person,' she says. 'Through all my treatment, I've carried on working.

'I find that my family and friends really keep me going.

'So I'll just have to wait and see if the cancer has changed once the baby is born and I'll get whatever treatment I need then.

'I have an ultrasound scan to check on the baby every two weeks and everything seems to be fine there.

'I'm not brave and I'm not being silly with my health. I'm lucky that I've been able to continue the drug treatment and I'm feeling great'I just want to enjoy being pregnant and becoming a mum.'

Her inspirational outlook has already made Mandy a role model for other sufferers.

She was chosen to be a Sunday Mail supermodel in last year's Breast Cancer Care Scotland Fashion Show.

She was in hospital recovering from chemotherapy, having found a lump in her neck, when her mum suggested she apply to take part in the glittering fundraiser.

And by the time she took to the catwalk last October at Glasgow's Radisson SAS Hotel, her hair had only just grown back.

'I didn't feel that I was back to my normal self because my hair was still so short,' she says.

'And I'd been really ill with the chemo that time.

'But everyone thought I looked great and I was so pampered that I had a fantastic time.'

Along with15other models - all of them breast cancer survivors - Mandy helped raise more than pounds 100,000 for the charity.

In front of an emotional audience of family, friends and celebrities, they proved that you can still look fantastic after fighting cancer.

But Mandy never imagined her body had recovered so well from the treatment that she would conceive within days of the show.

'Before I started chemotherapy for the second time, the doctor told me I wouldn't be able to have children afterwards,' says Mandy.

'It was a real shock. Scott and I hadn't really discussed having kids because I was always in the middle of treatment.

'But I do remember feeling that the chance had suddenly been snatched away from me. I hadn't had my eggs frozen.

'I felt upset for Scott, too, although we had always said that we were happy with things the way they were.

'My mum was trying to cheer me up by getting me to apply for the fashion show and I'm really glad I was chosen to take part.

'It definitely gave me a boost.' Since discovering a lump in her breast on her 27th birthday, Mandy's life became a gruelling treadmill of treatment.

She and Scott decided to postpone the wedding they planned for June 2002 while Mandy recovered from her mastectomy and first course of chemotherapy.

They finally tied the knot in May 2003 but, while on honeymoon in the United States, she became concerned about a patch of rough dry skin which had appeared on her breast.

Tests proved that cancer had returned and Mandy went through seven weeks of radiotherapy to fight it.

Then a lump appeared on her neck. The disease had spread to her lymph glands and a second course of chemo began.

Now Mandy takes the new long-term 'wonder' drug Herceptin to control the disease.

But anyone who meets her at work in her barber shop in Cambuslang, Glasgow, or out shopping for baby clothes, would never guess the ordeal she's been through. With her neat bump and her broad smile, she's a force to be reckoned with.

And hubby Scott, an assistant financial manager, couldn't be more proud.

'I was apprehensive when Mandy told me she was pregnant,' he says.

'In fact, I was really in shock for a while. But once we realised that she could continue her treatment, I was over the moon.

'It's absolutely amazing. To make a new life is unbelievable. And to have the chance to tell people good news for a change was just great'I just know Mandy is going to be a great mum.'

The mum-to-be is concentrating on taking things easy for the next few weeks before her due date in June.

She's cut her working hours, is trying to put her feet up at home and she's relishing every minute of confounding medical science.

'I don't know why this has happened to me,' says Mandy. 'But I really think this proves that you should never say never.

'Who knows how this pregnancy is affecting my body? Maybe it's even doing it some good.

'It's certainly made me more determined than ever to fight. There have been times when it's been difficult to keep going.

'But I will do and try anything to get to see this baby grow up

Breast Cancer Care helpline 0808 800 6000 or www.breastcancercare.org.uk

Source: Sunday Mail; Glasgow (UK)

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