My miracle boys: Mum expecting twins refused to consider abortion after being told she had breast cancer

Mum expecting twins refused abortion after being told she had breast cancer Getty model release

A mum-to-be diagnosed with breast cancer when she was four and a half months pregnant with TWINS has revealed how she refused to have an abortion, and went to to have two health boys.

Zoila Leiva underwent chemotherapy and fought back to health to have "two strong, healthy boys".

Zoila's remarkable story is reported on Mail Online on the day doctors reported in The Lancet that pregnant women with breast cancer can be treated safely, and don't need to delay treatment until they give birth.

Zoila, 42, from Whittier in California, had first felt a lump in her breast in February 2007, but had been told it was a benign cyst following a mammogram and ultrasound.

However, in December that year she was told it was actually cancer and she faced a terrible decision of life and death.

"My oncologist recommended an abortion straight away as my cancer was advanced and had spread to the lymph nodes," she told Mail Online.

"They told me there was no way of knowing if it had spread into any organs while I was pregnant as I couldn't have any of the necessary scans.

They wanted me to have a termination within two weeks, but after hearing about the procedure I was horrified. I could feel my babies moving. I thought 'I'll just die of depression if I kill them now'.

"So I never went back to that medical practice."

Aided by the cancer support network Hope For Two, Zoila went to see a series of experts who told her that she could have cancer treatment while pregnant - especially as she was past her first trimester.

She had four rounds of chemotherapy over 12 weeks, while also taking the drug Herceptin.

By the time she was ready to give birth at the recommended 32 weeks, the tumour had shrunk to almost nothing.

Zoila said she had three specialist doctors on hand during her C-section as they were worried her sons would weigh as little as 2lbs.

However, when they were born in April 2008, Julian was 4lbs, 3oz, while Joel was 3lbs, 12oz.

"They were strong healthy boys," said Zoila.

"The doctors had told me they could be in intensive care for five weeks but they were ready to come home in two weeks!"

Zoila has now been clear of the disease for three years and says she is enjoying every day she gets to spend with her sons.

"They are four years old now and little terrors!" she joked.

Zoila said she was keen to tell other women that they did have options.

"I want women to know that there is hope and that they can save their lives and that of the babies as well,' she said. "Cancer doesn't have to be a death sentence."

What a remarkable story - congratulations on your boys, Zoila!

More on Parentdish: The glass half full: A breast cancer blog

Brilliant baby moments

Eureka!
 It's so fascinating to see your little one learn about the world, not to mention her own body. If you're lucky, you might even witness the expression on her face when she realises her hands are attached…and she can use them to bat stuff with! (I witnessed the very moment my daughter realised her feet were attached, when she bit down hard on a big toe.)
Family ties
 There will be a particular moment, perhaps not even straight away, and perhaps when you are doing the most mundane of things, when you’ll look at your partner and your baby, and it will hit you for the very first time that you are "a family".
Making scents
 You might have heard people talking about the intoxicating scent of a baby's head before and wondered what on earth they were going on about. But take a big whiff of your own little nipper, and you’ll be away with the fairies! No, you haven't just gone gooey – some experts think babies' heads give off pheromones that send oxytocin coursing through your veins (dads, too). Breathe it in, it doesn't last forever!
Touching moments
 Feeding your baby is always a great time for bonding, but it's the little unexpected things they do - such as clutching at your hand, pawing your breast (or, as mine did, pinging your bra strap) that make it memorable.
Getting the giggles
 Some babies do it early, others make their parents wait and work bloody hard for it… but the first time your baby really laughs from their belly, your heart will sing! Who'd have thought daddy could ever be THAT funny? Seriously.
Here's lookin' at you!
 Most babies arrive a bit puffy and spend the first few days with their faces screwed up, trying to make sense of the shapes they’re suddenly seeing. But when those dark eyes actually find yours, you’ll be blown away by the feeling that this brand new little person knows you to your very soul.
Mini me!
 Many parents find it easier to see their newborn as an image of their partner - but the first time you  recognise a part of yourself in your baby (perhaps a wonky yawn or the way they lift their eyebrows) is a strange, yet lovely, sensation.
Snooze fests
 There is nothing more peaceful than reclining with a sleeping baby on your chest: soft little breaths, squidgy cheeks, a perfect pause in time… Zzzz.
Simple things
 You wouldn't be normal unless you sometimes missed the old days, when you could drop everything and head out for a night on the town. But the realisation that you really would rather be snuggling at home with your baby than out strutting your stuff makes you feel as warm as the cup of cocoa you're clutching.
The 'awwww!' factor
 From hiccupping (seriously adorable) to learning to kiss you back, there will by myriad moments of supreme cuteness. But possibly the biggest "Awww!" will come when you use the bubbles in your baby’s bath to make him look like a gnome (and he beams at you because he has no idea what he looks like).
Adulation and adoration
 Who needs to be a superstar, eh? With your baby comes the stupendous feeling of being the funniest, loveliest, most important person in any room. And, of course, you are.