A man from England was told he was infertile due to his treatment for bowel cancer – but in a twist of fate, his wife is pregnant with their “miracle” baby, while he was given just months to live.
Andrew Wresford, 37, was diagnosed with the illness in February 2022, but after undergoing chemotherapy, doctors told him that he was infertile.
So, when his wife, Rachel Mitton, 36, found out that she was pregnant in January, the two were shocked – but they’d always dreamed of having a third child together before he became ill.
“Me and Andrew had wanted another child so, it was just meant to be — our little light in the dark,” Mitton said, according to South West News Service.
“As heartbroken as I am about having to bring up our children without my rock and best friend, this baby means another part of Andrew will always be with me — a true gift.”
Mitton is due in September, but Wresford, now a dad of four, is scared that he may not live long enough to meet his newborn child.
“I’m scared about how is Rachel going to cope without me, but excited about the fact we’re having another child,” Wrestford admitted.
“I’m also emotional that I’m not going to be around to meet my son.”
When the 37-year-old was first diagnosed with bowel cancer with a colonoscopy, his family believed that he was going to be able to survive – but later found out that it had spread to his liver and lungs and was terminal, according to SWNS.
The disease can be treatable if it is caught early enough.
Some of his first symptoms included terrible stomach pains and gas, which prompted him to visit the doctor’s office.
There are over 2,600 cases of the disease diagnosed in those under 50 every year in the United Kingdom – and 1 in 15 men will be diagnosed with it during their lifetime, according to Bowel Cancer UK.
In the United States, an estimated 106,970 people will be diagnosed with a kind of colon cancer, according to the American Cancer Society. And, since the mid-1990’s, the rates of colon cancer have been increasing by 1-2% per year in those younger than 50.
Initially, doctors believed that even though it was a terminal diagnosis, Wresford would be able to live for a few years with treatment.
But his condition took a turn earlier this year as doctors realized that he would only have a few months left.
“He has dramatically changed physically,” Wresford’s sister, Jackie Hamilton, told SWNS. “I was heartbroken when I got here.”
Hamilton is from Australia and came to England to be with her brother and support the family.
“When he went to that next level, he couldn’t even talk to me,” Hamilton admitted. “He sleeps a lot and does not eat much.”
He recently spoke to his medical team about buying more time with another cycle of chemo, but ultimately decided not to move forward, citing quality-of-life concerns.
“They said if he was going to have chemotherapy again, it was now or never but they couldn’t guarantee it was going to make him any better,” his sister explained.
“It is upsetting for all the family, but we are not going through it, it is not our body.”
Hamilton described the upcoming arrival of her new niece or nephew as “bittersweet.”
“[I have] mixed feelings,” Hamilton said. “He is never going to know his dad and my brother might not be able to see his baby being born in September.”
“[But] it is lovely for Rachel to have another part of him.”
Currently, Hamilton is also raising money for her brother’s family and the new baby on GoFundMe.
They are looking to raise around $6,000 total, with a little over half of the goal already met.
His wife said that even though there might be a difficult journey ahead for all of them, the life of the new baby should still be “celebrated.”
“But life should always be celebrated and I know this baby boy will bring everyone some much-needed love and joy, even in the hardest of times,” she said.