Hitchin mum's cancerous tumour found at pregnancy scan

Emma said "I'd urge anyone to do Race for Life because raising money for research is so important"

A mother has said her daughter is her "hero" after a scan during her pregnancy revealed a cancerous tumour the size of an orange in her ovary.

Emma Bannister, from Hitchin, Hertfordshire, said it was found when she was seven weeks pregnant with her now 10-year-old, Alana.

She said her daughter tells her "I saved your life" and she was able to have another daughter, Naomi.

The family are now raising funds for Cancer Research UK.

Emma said doctors told her once the tumour had been removed to complete her family as quickly as possible

Ms Bannister said she went for an emergency ultrasound after suffering a bleed and a tumour was found.

"I remember at the scan I was relieved and excited to see a heartbeat, but then the focus shifted and the scans were no longer looking at the baby," she said.

"That's when they found the tumour.

"I'd had no symptoms of ovarian cancer whatsoever. Now my daughter, Alana, says to me 'I saved your life, because if you hadn't been pregnant with me and had that scan, you wouldn't have found your cancer'.

"She's my hero."

She went on to carry Alana full-term, gave birth in November 2013, and then had surgery to remove the cancer.

She said that when she found out she had ovarian cancer she had said to herself that she was "a new mum and I just thought I was going to die", She was then told by doctors all the cancer had been removed.

Emma said the family has previously taken part in Race for Life which was "really emotional"

A gynaecologist recommended she have an omentectomy, an operation to remove a sheet of fatty tissue that covers your abdominal organs to ensure nothing had spread, which she did.

In 2017, she was able to have her second daughter, Naomi, who is now six years old.

The family are now preparing to race in the Pretty Muddy Cancer Research UK event in Stevenage on 7 July.

"I'm through the other side of my cancer now and it's nice to celebrate that with the girls," Ms Bannister added.