Meya Fowler was overjoyed when she finally fell pregnant after years of dreaming of a family and a traumatic miscarriage – but her worst fears came true when her baby was diagnosed with a tumour at her 20-week scan.
The tumour soon grew to 1.5kg and left the baby girl with a less than 20 per cent chance of survival due to its massive size, but Meya refused to terminate the pregnancy and give up on her daughter.
Meya, 36, met her husband, Callan, online and the couple immediately clicked and fell in love.
They were married 18 months after their first date and started trying for a baby as soon as possible.
‘I have a big family and I was close with all my cousins growing up,’ Meya told FEMAIL. ‘I wanted the same for my children. I unfortunately lost my first baby, but something felt different about the second time.’
Meya Fowler’s baby was diagnosed with a teratoma tumour at her 20-week scan
As Meya’s baby was growing, so was the tumour, and it could’ve overloaded her organs and caused heart failure
‘I’d talk to my daughter inside my belly and tell her how much we loved her. We started planning the nursery and making baby name lists, imagining how much our life would change for the better in just a few short months.’
While all of Meya’s initial scans and bloodwork came back without any issues, a heavy weight settled on her five months in.
‘Our whole lives came crashing down at the 20-week scan,’ Meya recalled. ‘I was so anxious because of what had happened the last time I was pregnant – I couldn’t imagine something going wrong again.
‘My first sign that something was wrong was when the doctor doing the ultrasound went quiet. The blood drained from his face, and a sad look came over his eyes.’
Meya revealed that the doctor discovered a teratoma tumour on her child’s tailbone.
Teratomas are made up of tissues like hair, muscle, and bone and often form in the ovaries in women.
As Meya’s baby was growing, so was the tumour, and it could’ve overloaded her organs and caused heart failure.
‘The OB told us that her survival rate had dropped to 20 per cent, and that our baby would most likely die.
‘It was too much to bear mentally and emotionally. We were given the option to terminate, or continue on knowing the risk that our daughter might not make it.’
Despite the odds being stacked against them, Meya and Callan never once considered terminating the pregnancy
Despite the odds being stacked against them, Meya and Callan never once considered terminating the pregnancy.
‘Both of us really wanted this baby, and we wanted to give her a change to live,’ she said. ‘We wanted her to fight for it.’
At that moment, medical professionals deduced that the tumour was 4cm and slow-growing, which hadn’t impacted the baby’s development yet.
Dealing with their baby’s cancer was the first time either of them had a brush with the illness.
‘Everyone always says this, but cancer is something that happens to other people. Not you.’
Meya shared that the news made her feel ‘burned out’ and ‘weak’, and that knowing everything she could do still might not be enough was exhausting.
The mum-to-be was overwhelmingly emotional and would often cry about the unfair situation her family had been put in.
Dealing with their baby’s cancer was the first time either of them had a brush with the illness
At 32 weeks, the tumour suddenly ballooned and Meya and Callan were warned about the high level of risk both mum and baby were taking.
The couple moved from Bendigo to Ronald McDonald house in Melbourne to be closer to the Royal Women’s Hospital.
By 36 weeks, the tumour had grown to 18cm and weighed 1.5kg.
Meya was scheduled for an elective C-section at 38 weeks, but she went into premature labour two weeks prior because of the tumour.
Once she had given birth, the baby was immediately taken into an operating room for a gruesome six-hour long surgery to cut out the teratoma.
‘I hadn’t even held her yet. The tumour was connected to a lot of blood vessels, so it was possible for one to rupture and cause her to bleed out,’ Meya said, ‘I was terrified. I couldn’t focus on anything else.
‘I kept asking myself: is she going to make it? Will the surgery go well? What if something happens? What if she can’t withstand the recovery? What if I never get to hold her or speak to her?’
Once she had given birth, the baby was immediately taken into an operating room for a gruesome six-hour long surgery to cut out the teratoma
But the surgeons were able to successfully remove the tumour and Oliviae was soon hooked up to machines to help her breathe and heal.
Callan and Meya didn’t stop holding their breaths until she was given the all-clear – and the couple couldn’t believe the ‘miracle’ that had been bestowed on them.
The baby’s tests came back negative for cancer, but it’s not the end of her health journey.
Oliviae still has to return to the hospital every three months for scans to ensure the cancer hasn’t returned.
She is expected to have some growth and development delays because of the anaesthetic used on her during the surgery – but Meya and Callan will be there to guide her through the challenges.
‘I watch her crawling around our house now and it makes me so happy,’ Meya said. ‘She’s alive! She’s OK! It’s all perfect.’
Oliviae celebrated her first birthday at the end of January 2024 and continues to thrive.
***
Read more at DailyMail.co.uk