A man who was told he was infertile after being diagnosed with testicular cancer has just welcomed a son.
Sean Collard and his twin Ryan both found out they had cancer in 2017. After undergoing intense chemotherapy, doctors told Sean he had been left infertile by the treatment.
But despite being told it was unlikely he’d ever have children, Sean has welcomed a ‘miracle’ son with his girlfriend Sophie. The pair also conceived naturally, without IVF treatment.
Baby Lucas arrived weighing a healthy 7lb 5oz on 15 September – although Sean wasn’t allowed to see the new bundle of joy until the following day, due to coronavirus restrictions.
Sean, from Hetton, said: ‘Becoming a dad is the best feeling ever. There was a time when I never thought I’d be able to have a family but Lucas is our little miracle.
‘Finding out was a huge shock but at the same time it was great news. I was told that my fertility could possibly come back at some point but it was so early that I hadn’t yet had the test to determine it.’
Sean adds that he is currently experiencing mixed emotions, due to the fact that it’s unlikely his twin brother will ever have children.
He added: ‘It is bittersweet because Ryan loves kids and he would love to be a dad himself, but his fertility hasn’t returned and we don’t know if it ever will. Initially once you’ve had treatment you are infertile and there’s a risk that fertility won’t come back.
‘That was massively scary for me. I’ve always wanted to have a family and Ryan and I both grew up wanting what our parents had with us.’
Ryan, a primary school teacher, first realised something was wrong when he started experiencing blackouts. He was diagnosed with cancer and had to start treatment immediately as it was at such a late stage.
As a result, this meant that Ryan was unable to bank any sperm. Shortly after visiting Ryan in the hospital, Sean also started experiencing symptoms – just 20 days later he found out he also had cancer.
Last year, Sean and Ryan set up a charity called Cancer Lads to raise awareness of testicular cancer and encourage men to check for symptoms. Sean says this is something he is painfully more aware of now, after having a son himself.
He said: ‘It’s been fantastic for us to have a little boy but I’m always going to worry, especially with Ryan and me both getting it, it’s obviously a strong gene.
‘It’s something I’ll speak to the specialists about and when Lucas is older – we’ll have that conversation.’
Sean is looking forward to Ryan getting to spend time with baby Lucas, once coronavirus restrictions are relaxed.
He added: ‘Ryan is going to be the best uncle ever. Seeing them together is going to be incredible.’
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source https://metro.co.uk/2020/09/25/man-infertile-cancer-treatment-welcomes-baby-son-13325856/
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