Mum's ‘miracle baby’ conceived thanks to dad's sperm donation just one hour before his first chemo
Couple’s ‘miracle baby’ conceived thanks to sperm donation just one hour before dad’s first chemo
This Lincoln mother revealed how her partner was diagnosed with stage 4 bile duct cancer, but she refused to let the condition stop them having a baby.
Lois Rose’s partner, Liam Bradley, 38, donated his sperm for IVF just one hour before beginning his first chemotherapy treatment – and now the couple are parents to their ‘miracle baby’ Birdie.
Former supermarket manager Liam was ‘the fittest’ he had ever been when he was playing golf with friends in March 2025 but started to notice flu-like symptoms.
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They noticed Liam’s eyeballs had a ‘yellow tinge’ so he visited Lincoln County Hospital’s A&E.
Liam’s bile duct was investigated using a CT scan, which revealed a stricture, and an MRI in April, which showed stage 4 cholangiocarcinoma, commonly called bile duct cancer, with 12 tumours that had spread to his liver.
The couple had to wait six weeks for chemotherapy – but they said this ended up being ‘a blessing in disguise’ as it gave Liam enough time to ‘squeeze in’ a sperm donation on the very morning of his first treatment for 30-year-old Lois’s IVF.
The pair said they were ‘amazed’ to hear in October that this first and only donation had been successful and Lois was pregnant with Liam’s baby..
Lois, who gave birth to Birdie in July, said, “The birth was amazing.
“Birdie forces us to live and fight at the same time.”
“She really is just the perfect baby.
“She sleeps six to seven hours at night, she’s breastfed perfectly from the beginning and she’s really content.”
Lois met Liam at the gym in December 2024, just four months before Liam was diagnosed with cancer.
“If I didn’t have Lois and Birdie, I think cancer would control my life,” Liam told PA Real Life.
“It would dictate what I do hour by hour, minute by minute and I’d constantly be thinking about it.
“But I’ve got so many happy distractions in my life that I can take control back.”
Once Liam received his cancer diagnosis, he was told it was unlikely he would be fertile after chemotherapy.
Because Liam already had two children from a previous relationship, the pair were told they did not qualify for IVF funding via the NHS.
They were determined to have a child together, however, and it was while they were on holiday in Rhodes, enjoying a mountain tour, when Liam saw missed calls on his phone
“It was the Nurture Fertility clinic in Nottingham saying that we could go ahead with IVF if I could get a sample to them before I started chemo,” Liam said.
“The clinic staff were brilliant (and) they said they’d open at 8am for me on Monday.
“Thank goodness our Sunday night flight wasn’t delayed (because) I got there in time to give a sample and then rushed to Lincoln (Hospital) to start chemo an hour later.”
Liam began cancer treatment in May 2025 and said it was ‘remarkable’ that all but two of his tumours, including the primary one, had disappeared.
Despite his early positive response to treatment, Liam was admitted to intensive care in May this year after suffering side-effects from it. He also received the news that the cancer had spread to one of his lungs.
Liam admits feeling ‘pretty rough’ because of his illness but says he remains confident about the next six months thanks to the ‘incredible’ support he has received from the cholangiocarcinoma charity AMMF.
This has led to Liam sharing his story for the charity’s film, Voices for Cholangiocarcinoma, which was shown to NHS leaders and MPs on October 14.
“I just want to give other people who are living with the same cancer hope,” Liam said.
“Being here for the birth and being here for three months old, it’s just a win.
“There’s so much that I want to live for.”
Visit AMMF’s website for more information on cholangiocarcinoma: ammf.org.uk
Liam intends to take part in the Yorkshire Three Peaks Challenge to support the AMMF on October 27: gofundme.com/f/yorkshire-3-peaks-round-2.
Michael D. Carroll