A young mother-to-be was forced to make a heartbreaking choice between saving her child or treating life threatening bone cancer.
At sixteen weeks along Tasha Trafford, 33, refused to abort her son and chose not to have life-saving chemotherapy.
An A&E nurse herself Mrs Trafford knew that her chances of survival against an incurable disease like Ewing’s Sarcoma were slim but she was determined to have her child.
At sixteen weeks along Tasha Trafford, 33, refused to abort her son and chose not to have life-saving chemotherapy. Baby Cooper arrived on December 12, 2015 (pictured)
She said at the time: ‘Doing anything that might harm my unborn baby would be unthinkable.’
Delightedly the Trafford’s greeted their son Cooper just before Christmas on December 12, 2015. The new mum had eleven blissful months with her child before she sadly passed away on November 12, 2016.
The 33-year-old had desperately wanted to to be there for Cooper’s first birthday.
Her father, Dai Gallivan, was just grateful his daughter got as long as she did with her son.
‘She had him for 11 months,’ he said.
‘She knew what was happening but we didn’t speak about it much. It was a really long illness and was incredibly hard for Tasha.’
The day she died Mr Gallivan had been due to fly out to complete a charity climb of Mount Kilimanjaro for Tenovus Cancer Care. A month before, having seen his daughter’s condition deteriorate, he decided to hand his place over to Tasha’s brother David.
Tasha Trafford (pictured with her husband on their wedding day) was told she needed life-saving chemotherapy while she was 16 weeks pregnant
‘I knew I couldn’t go. I knew in my heart of hearts if I was away then Tasha wouldn’t be here when I got back,’ Mr Gallivan said.
David was sitting in the airport, two hours before his flight, when his father called to tell him his sister had died. Fortunately David had been able to see his sister the day before he left but he still decided to go on the trek her memory.
This year Mr Gallivan himself will complete the trek in his daughter’s memory.
‘It’s going to be a good event and my son wants me to do it because he wants me to share the same experience as him.
‘I’m not worried about the climbing itself, I am pretty sure I’ll be okay with that, but I know a lot of people have problems with the altitude.’
He said his daughter wouldn’t be at all surprised he was completing the trek.
‘I think she’d think it’s just what I do. She’d think it’s just another thing that Dad does’.
You can sponsor Mr Gallivan here.