Mom of 'Miracle Baby' Now Needs a New Miracle

A new mom and her husband are hoping alternative treatments for her brain cancer will prove successful, because conventional doctors say there is nothing more they can do for her. 

Five years ago, Stephanie Parr of Derby, England appeared to be the picture of health.  Then, completely out of the blue, the 31-year-old suffered a seizure.  Doctors said the episode was caused by a tumor in her brain that was larger than two inches around. 

Stephanie underwent surgery to remove the tumor, and doctors told her they believed the cancer was gone. They said all she needed to do was to come back every six months for a brain scan just to be sure.  

Then, two years later, at one of those follow-up appointments, a brain scan revealed the cancer was back. 

This time surgery was not an option. Instead, doctors said the best they could hope for was to stop the cancer from growing with radiation treatment. So that's what Stephanie did, and it appeared to work.

"The radiotherapy was extremely draining," Stephanie's husband Neil wrote on their GoFundMe page. "But when finished, Steph was luckily in relatively good physical health and we were able to live an active life making precious memories."

It was at about that time the couple was delighted to discover they were expecting their first child.  Neil said the two were "over the moon" in response to the much-needed good news.

Tragically, their joy was diminished during Stephanie's sixth month of pregnancy.  Doctors informed her the cancer had returned again. They recommended chemotherapy. However, that treatment would have compromised the health of her unborn child.  

"They couldn't do anything while I was pregnant without putting the baby at risk," Stephanie told The Daily Mail.

So Stephanie chose to put her baby's health ahead of her own, and told doctors she wanted to wait until after the child was born to begin her chemo. 

As a result, the cancer continued growing during the pregnancy, causing paralysis on the left side of Stephanie's body. She could barely walk, and was forced to use a wheelchair much of the time.

'We were suddenly faced with all these decisions about how long to wait until the Caesarean," Stephanie said.

Thankfully, she delivered a beautiful baby girl named Lily-Rose.  

"We had her at 37 weeks. She weighed 6 pounds, 9 ounces,  and she was absolutely fine. It was great," Stephanie said. "'She was the best news we ever could have got. She is our miracle baby. And now she's here she really keeps us going. Having our own family means everything."

Just two weeks after the birth, Stephanie began chemotherapy. The treatment worked for a while, but she and Neil were devastated to learn the chemo stopped working and the cancer was once again growing. At this point, doctors said there was nothing more they could do.

Now Stephanie and Neil are exploring alternative treatments such as private drug trials and private immunotherapy treatments, which are expensive and require out-of-pocket payment. That's why the couple is appealing to the public to help them raise money for Stephanie's treatments. 

Neil says his wife's health is "very poor" at the moment, saying she's unable to live independently.  

Stephanie just wants a normal life. "I want to spend as much time with my family and friends as possible. I want to see Lily-Rose grow up. That's what life is all about," she said.