12-year-old cancer patient speaks out on decision to freeze eggs to 'preserve fertility'
Chloe Dixon was just 12 years old when doctors gave her another decision to make alongside her cancer treatment: whether to preserve her fertility for the future.
The child, who hails from Fort Good Hope, NWT, Canada, was diagnosed with rhabdomyosarcoma, a rare and aggressive form of soft-tissue cancer, last summer.
Since then, she has undergone multiple surgeries and rounds of chemotherapy at Toronto’s Hospital for Sick Children.
Doctors later told Chloe about a fertility preservation programme that could give her the chance to have children later in life.
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"I thought it was definitely a good idea to do it," the pre-teen said. "I'm 12, I don't know much about that. But I thought it was the safer option."
The procedure, known as ovarian tissue cryopreservation, involves removing one ovary and freezing the tissue for potential use later in life.
If Chloe chooses to have children in the future, the tissue could be reimplanted.
Cancer treatment can affect fertility, with chemotherapy, radiation and some surgeries potentially reducing the number of eggs in the ovaries and bringing on early menopause.
Dr Kriti Kumar, a paediatric oncologist at SickKids and co-lead of its fertility preservation programme with Mount Sinai Fertility Clinic, said giving young patients options is an important part of their care.
"When we give therapy that we know can be harmful to fertility, it's really important that we have these options available to patients," she said.
Unlike adults, children who have not yet reached puberty generally cannot freeze mature eggs, which makes ovarian tissue preservation an important option for some young patients facing cancer treatment.
Kumar said conversations about fertility can happen soon after a cancer diagnosis, when families are already trying to take in a huge amount of information.
"We really want to make sure that we're giving patients and families as much time as we can to really think about this," she said.
For Chloe’s dad, Paul Dixon, the decision initially felt like a lot to take in.
"After we sort of settled in on it and thought about the future and whatever else is going on, then it was a great option," he said.
Chloe underwent the tissue preservation procedure in August 2025, saying she was glad to have the choice, even if discussing fertility at 12 felt pretty strange.
"I know that I have a bit more of an opportunity to have kids in the future. But yeah, I feel like it was a bit of a weird conversation," Chloe said.
For Kumar, preserving fertility is part of thinking beyond simply getting young patients through cancer treatment.
"We want to make sure that we're not just curing them and then saying, 'Go out in the world and fend for yourself,'" she said. "We want to really make sure that they're thriving and really living full lives."
Chloe is now in the maintenance phase of chemotherapy and looking forward to getting back to school.
Her dad says the family is hopeful about what comes next.
"Ultimately, things are going well," Dixon said. "Hopefully Chloe has the same type of future as any other child that hasn't gone through cancer treatment."
If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence, contact Macmillan’s Cancer Support Line on 0808 808 00 00, 8am–8pm seven days a week.
Rhiannon Ingle