Cancer survivor who spent £17k on IVF willing to 'risk it all' to have dream family

A cancer survivor is desperate for one last chance to have a baby 'before it's too late'.

Janeane Hodgson, 42, has already spent £17,000 on failed IVF treatment after being diagnosed with rectal cancer in 2015.

During an operation to remove the tumour, her Fallopian tubes were damaged, meaning that although surgeons removed her cancer, she was unable to conceive naturally.

Now, despite knowing her cancer could return at any time, brave Janeane is trying to raise £15,000 to pay for treatment, which will cost more than £20,000 in total, for a surrogate to carry the last frozen embryo that she and partner Dominic Purton, 52, have left.

She said there are many 'what ifs' but having a baby is her dream and she wants to fulfill her wish of starting a family.

"I just know that if I was to be blessed with a child, I would love them more than anything in the world," she said.

Janeane, from Nottingham, explained: "If the surrogacy was successful, it will be better than winning the lottery.

"I try not to get my hopes up too much because I’ve had so much disappointment, nothing has gone to plan.

"When I was in hospital, I planned my funeral and wrote goodbye letters; I wanted to put plans in place just in case.

"It's such a surreal experience but when you're laying in hospital, unable to move with tubes coming out of your body, your mind goes to dark places.

"We have one frozen embryo left and that's our final chance.

"There are so many 'what ifs' but it's so overwhelming to think about having a baby, it would be an absolute miracle.

"If the cancer does come back in the future, I know Dominic would be an amazing father. I watch him with our three dogs and it melts my heart".

Janeane, who works as a freelance make-up artist, had been trying for a baby with her partner Dominic Purton, 52, and was devastated by the news that she had been left infertile.

The couple spent £17,000 on IVF over the course of the past three years but were not successful.

She has now decided to go down the surrogacy route and is currently trying to raise £15,000 to help fund her dream of being a mother.

Despite the tumour being removed during the surgery, Janeane has been left fearful that the cancer could return at any moment but wants to try one last time to start a family.

She said: "We started IVF in 2017 and have spent over £17,000 but we haven't been successful.

"The doctor said he's never seen anyone's insides like it, he said nothing was where it should be and that I had less than a 10% chance of conceiving but I was willing to try anything.

"Touch wood, the cancer is all clear but I have to have check-ups every six months and there's always the chance that it could return at any moment.

"I lost my grandma to bowel cancer and my mum in 2008; I had always wanted to be an amazing mother like they were.

"We have one last chance at having a baby, one last embryo and time is running out. I just want to be able to fulfil my wish of starting a family before it's too late."

She added: "I have always wanted a family and it would be a dream come true if our surrogacy was successful.

"I long for all the things that pregnant people experience - the morning sickness, getting bigger and all the other things that come with it that most people wouldn't want to experience."

Janeane first started experiencing unusual symptoms in 2012 - but it was three years before she received a diagnosis.

She said: "The only symptom I had was a swollen stomach. I persevered with it for a while but then I decided to go to a doctor who told me it sounded like IBS ( irritable bowel syndrome ).

"I changed my diet, kept a food diary and it just wasn't going away. I was healthy and had a personal trainer so I knew there was something wrong.

"It got so bad that people thought I looked pregnant.

"I was doing a pregnancy test every month because I was convinced I was pregnant because of how big my belly was."

In August 2015, she went on to see her sixth doctor who offered her a colonoscopy and endoscopy where they discovered a tumour in her rectum and a lesion in her stomach.

She added: "After the diagnosis, I was relieved to have finally found out what the problem was and was sent down for open bowel surgery straight away to remove the tumour and part of my bowel.

"After complications with the surgery, I was told that I wouldn't be able to conceive".

As Dominic, Janeane's partner, has a 15-year-old daughter, they could not qualify for funding so had to use their life savings to fund the treatment.

She added: "Time is running out. The cancer could come back at any moment and I'm having to have check-ups every six months.

"I wish I had saved the £17,000 I spent on IVF to spend on surrogacy instead but now we're having to try and raise £15,000 to fund it. I spent my life savings on IVF.

"You need to cover all costs, any loss of earnings, maternity clothes, the treatment itself and it all adds up.

"I've already found a surrogate and we have one embryo left so we're trying this year. If by the end of the year it hasn't worked, I'm giving up on my hope of being a mum".

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