Mother courage puts own life at risk to save twins

A COURAGEOUS mother, who made medical history by giving birth to identical twin boys after being diagnosed with a potentially fatal form of leukaemia, spoke yesterday of her joy as she held them for the first time.

Vanessa Love discovered that she had acute promyelocytic leukaemia after a routine blood test in January - only four days after a scan confirmed that she was expecting twins.

But she decided to delay chemotherapy - the treatment which offers the best prospects of a permanent cure - until after her sons were born. Her courage was rewarded this month when her healthy boys were born by Caesarean section at Aberdeen Maternity Hospital.

Blake and Rohan Love were born a minute apart on 16 May, weighing 3lb 8oz and 3lb 5oz respectively, after a three-hour operation involving a 14-strong medical team. Mrs Love, 31, and her husband Charlie, also have two daughters, Amber, five, and Megan, four.

Yesterday as Mrs Love, a former medical receptionist, waited to be reunited with her sons following their release from intensive care, the couple told of their anguish, fears and eventual elation at the birth of their "two little bundles of absolute joy and wonder".

Mrs Love, who kept a poignant diary of her emotional turmoil during the pregnancy, said: "It has been worth all that has happened. The twins are doing very well - I think they are doing better than I am. I saw them last week just for a little while and it was just great to be able to cuddle them. I know they are obviously tiny, but they didn't seem that small to me."

Mrs Love also spoke about her mixture of emotions when she learned that she was pregnant and had contracted leukaemia in the space of just four days. "The first week in January, when we found out about the leukaemia, was awful but it has just got better and better.

"And if I hadn't been pregnant, I probably wouldn't have discovered I had leukaemia because I wouldn't have been having blood tests and things. It probably would have gone on unnoticed a lot longer."

Mrs Love said she had never wavered in her determination to give birth. "The doctor gave us all the options and we spent a day going through all the possibilities. We did discuss the possibility of termination, but it wasn't really a possibility for us. Chemotherapy while being pregnant wouldn't have been ideal. But, because I have been on medication since January, it isn't as if I haven't had any treatment. And I am in remission."

She added: "Sure, we had some bad days - more from the point of view of just wishing that I didn't have the leukaemia. But not in terms of had I made the right decision. That was never in question."

A delighted Mr Love told The Scotsman: "The boys are doing really well. They have come on in leaps and bounds and the staff are very, very pleased with their progress."

He admitted: "It was a real shock and a real fright when we discovered Vanessa had leukaemia.

But after the weekend we had a long discussion with our consultant and he came up with this treatment protocol with a drug called All-trans retinoic acid. It was the treatment that was likely to offer the best outcome for both Vanessa and the babies and it has been very successful."

Mr Love continued: "It is very rare for someone to be diagnosed with leukaemia while pregnant. And no-one has been able to find any record of anyone else having identical twins while being treated for the disease. And that makes Vanessa quite a unique woman."

He added: "The drugs have led to her remission, but it doesn't work forever. She has to have chemotherapy to have a cure and, hopefully, that will start in three weeks' time."

He stressed: "The fact Vanessa delayed chemotherapy because of her therapy has not affected her prognosis in any way."

Online diary reveals parental roller-coaster ride of emotions

VANESSA Love kept an online diary, charting her roller-coaster of emotions, since she discovered she was expecting twins on 10 January - four days before she was given the devastating news that she was suffering from acute promyelocytic leukaemia (APL) - a malignancy of the bone marrow that accounts for almost 10 per cent of all cases of acute myeloid leukaemia.

Her husband, Charlie, is head of computer studies at Aberdeen's Cults Academy. The couple have two children, Amber, five and Megan, four.

Monday 7 Feb: My pregnancy is now in its 17th week and the twins are moving around quite a bit (mostly at night when I'm tired!). My consultant has put me on All-trans retinoic acid (ATRA), which acts on the cause of my leukaemia. This treatment is less hazardous for the twins than chemotherapy would be at this point.

The plan for my treatment is to continue with the ATRA until my pregnancy gets to 32 weeks or so and then to deliver the twins by C-section. After that I'll get a course of chemotherapy.

Thursday 10 Feb: If I'd been diagnosed with APL earlier we would have been facing a termination, if I hadn't been pregnant I wouldn't have had a blood test and we wouldn't have caught my leukaemia so early.

Tuesday 15 Feb: I've too much time to think and all the possibilities and problems we have are running around in my head. I get out of breath doing the simplest of things and am exhausted by 4pm (Note to self: Do not mix pregnancy and leukaemia in future, worse than vodka and gin!).

Thursday 17 Feb: I love the fact that the babies seem oblivious to my leukaemia. I also enjoyed, today, just being another mum-to-be in for a scan rather than sitting in a hospital bed waiting for my blood count.

Tuesday 8 Mar: I am now the proud owner of: one blonde wig (golden glaze), one Kangol beret (very Samuel L Jackson), two bandanas (one black, one purple-ish) and a very cosy blue hat.

I am finding it difficult to take in all that has happened to me and I do spend far too much time thinking about how much I will see of the babies, how Charlie will cope, how often I'll get to see the girls and so on.

Amber asked me on Friday why I wasn't taking her to school and I got really upset. I was annoyed that ... my five year old didn't understand that I was unwell, pregnant and emotional.

Monday 14 Mar: I'm in remission!

Thursday 31 Mar: I just wish someone would put me to sleep until it was all over.

Tuesday 5 Apr: The idea that ... there might be a problem with the twins was the last thing I felt I could cope with. The doctor took the measurements. The result is ... the babies are a little small but are active and healthy!

Friday 13 May: I am very frightened by the thought of the chemo. As I get closer to delivering the boys and receiving my treatment I get more concerned about the reality of how my family will function without me, how I will feel about leaving all my babies and how effective my treatment will be.

The next two entries are written by Charlie Love.

Saturday 14 May: Vanessa became violently sick, with stomach cramps and shakes. After an hour of this she was taken to Aberdeen Maternity Hospital where she was admitted. She has improved a bit this morning.

Monday 16 May: Blake Charles Love was born at 16.02 and is 3lbs and 9ozs and Rohan Watson Love was born at 16.03 and is 3lbs and 5ozs.