Chemotherapy

A Northumberland mum who had chemotherapy while pregnant has been told her treatment has been successful.

Roberta Burton, 28, of Stannington, was diagnosed with a rare form of blood cancer 11 weeks into her third pregnancy.

She was told delaying treatment for Hodgkin's Lymphona could put her life at risk and she went ahead with eight sessions of chemotherapy, closely monitored by experts at Newcastle's Freeman and RVI hospitals.

Earlier this week she got her PET scan results and discovered her body has had a full response to the chemotherapy and there is no sign of cancer in her body.

All those days of having poison pumped through me, worrying about my unborn baby, stabbing myself daily with needles, spending most of the last six months too poorly to take the kids out the house - and it's all been worth it. "

Her third son Elias was born in December, four weeks early and perfectly healthy, weighing just under 6lb (2.6kg). She will start radiotherapy as a preventative measure to stop the cancer coming back later this week.

I'm feeling stronger than ever and ready to get this last hurdle over with."