To save unborn baby Pregnant mum chooses to amputate her leg

[Naijablog]

Kathleen Osborne has recounted the emotional story of how she had to amputate her leg inorder to give her baby a chance at survival.Kathleen, 28, was diagnosed with cancer for the third time but she was also four months pregnant at the time although she was unaware.

After receiving an MRI scan, doctors told her she had two options, either to abort her baby so she could start chemotherapy, or to have a leg amputation. A day later, Kathleen after much thought, decided to have her entire right leg amputated, to get rid of the bone cancer.

The operation was a success and Kathleen gave birth to baby Aida-May eight weeks early, through caesarian section. Kathleen says: ‘I’m happy I made the decision to lose my leg because it gave me my daughter. ‘If I’d not had my leg amputated then, I’d have lost her and I’d have been going through chemotherapy which might not even have saved my leg in the end anyway. ‘I wouldn’t have her if I didn’t do it so it’s all been worth it.’

The mum-of-three was first diagnosed with cancer when she was just 11 years old – after a painful lump on her right leg turned out to be osteosarcoma in 2005.

Kathleen had chemotherapy for the bone cancer and had most of her kneecap removed, as well as two metal rods inserted into her leg.Then, 11 years later, she discovered that the cancer had returned in 2016 – this time on her lungs.After treatment Kathleen was given the all clear in March 2017 – but three years later another painful lump on the top of her right leg appeared.This was when the mum found out she was pregnant for the third time. Kathleen, was already a mum to nine-year-old Hayden and five-year-old Leo – but says she’s excited to now have a daughter, too, She says: ‘I’d always wanted a little girl after having my two boys first and now she’s here so I’m happy I did it. ‘They’d also always wanted a sister so it’s worked out for the best, to be honest. I’m still very happy with my decision. ‘I told the boys that the Transformers are building me a new leg which they love, they keep asking when my Transformer leg will arrive and they think it’s very cool.’