A COVENTRY bereavement midwife who was at risk of becoming infertile when she underwent chemotherapy for a brain tumour has given birth to her ‘miracle’ baby.
Leah Fox and her husband Andrew are now parents to Clara, who was born on June 9.
Clara was conceived naturally despite Leah having her embryos frozen in 2021 after she was referred by the Neurosurgery team at University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire (UHCW) NHS Trust.
In December 2021 Leah underwent an awake craniotomy which involves temporarily removing part of the skull so surgeons can access the brain and remove as much of the tumour as possible.
Leah was kept awake to allow surgeons to test regions of the brain before they are incised or removed and to test her functions throughout.
She had few physical symptoms but they took a turn for the worse a few weeks before her operation when the couple were honeymooning in Barbados.
She had had her first ever tonic-clonic seizure during her sleep, waking up to paramedics.
“I was taken to hospital and they wanted to see my records.
“I called UHCW on my mobile and asked to be put through to the on-call neurosurgery staff.
“Dr Cuthbert spoke at great length with the doctors in Barbados.
“When he came in to conduct a final assessment as I had my surgery, we laughed about the treatment he helped the Barbados team give to me.”
After her operation, Leah had six weeks of radiotherapy and six months of chemotherapy, but a review last June showed no growth and no changes to the brain.
Leah has thanked the Neurosurgery team by nominating them in the Compassion in Action category at the UHCW NHS Trusts Outstanding Service and Care Awards (OSCAs.)
She added: “We are over the moon, Clara is so cute and our miracle baby.
“I cannot thank the team at UHCW enough.
“They understood what it is like to be a patient, facing life-changing surgery, possibly losing the opportunity to consider having my own family as chemotherapy can sometimes affect the ovaries.”
