05 January 2024 , 22:13
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A 23-year-old new mum had her ear temporarily removed and a tumour cut from her jaw just eight hours after she gave birth.
Mollie Jane was "over the moon" when she found out about her pregnancy in December 2022 - but was diagnosed with cancer at 37 weeks.
Mollie had been taking a holiday to Antalya, Turkey, at 12 weeks when she started experiencing severe jaw pain. The discomfort went away momentarily before coming back in June, leading her to visit the dentist where it was dismissed as an abscess.
On the day of her baby shower, Mollie was rushed to A&E due to the unbearable pain but was sent home with antibiotics after an x-ray showed nothing significant. When the pain persisted, Mollie underwent a mouth biopsy which revealed a shocking diagnosis.
Mollie was diagnosed with stage two osteosarcoma - a rare form of bone cancer, on August 4. Doctors advised her that treatment would have to wait until after the delivery of her baby since certain treatments could pose risks. Despite being scheduled for a caesarean section, Mollie naturally gave birth to her adorable boy Tommy on August 7, 2023, who weighed a healthy 7lbs 10oz.
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Mollie naturally gave birth to Tommy on August 7, 2023, who weighed a healthy 7lbs 10oz (Mollie Dougherty / SWNS)
She had a tumour removed just eight hours after the birth (Mollie Dougherty / SWNS)Mollie, a former cleaning business owner from Barnsley, South Yorkshire, shared: "When I first got the pain in my jaw, at first I thought it was a wisdom tooth. It was painful but I just kind of got on with it. When I found out it was cancer it was heartbreaking, but at the same time, I just had to do it.
"My focus the whole time was just on making sure my baby was OK, everything else came second," she said. Mollie also revealed: "It was so hard giving birth to Tommy but then having to say goodbye to him straight away. But I barely even had time to think, I just got my bags packed and went."
After her initial screening, Mollie spent three days at home with Tommy before meeting with her surgeon in Sheffield. Her operation was scheduled for September 5. During the gruelling 12-hour operation, part of her jaw was removed. Surgeons temporarily severed her ear to access the bone and remove a tumour which doctors described as the "size of a football".
Mollie Dougherty had a swollen jaw as a result of stage 2 cancer while pregnant (Mollie Dougherty / SWNS)
(Mollie Dougherty / SWNS)She spent 18 days in hospital, starting with a few days in intensive care at Royal Hallamshire Hospital, Sheffield. The operation was successful, removing most of the cancer, but a small part had to be left and treated with chemo and radiotherapy.
On September 15, she was finally reunited with Tommy in hospital - who was brought in to visit - and was fully discharged on September 21. She has since done two rounds of chemotherapy and had been due to have her second round on November 29, but then caught sepsis - a serious infection where the immune system begins attacking the body.
"It was just my luck," she said. Thankfully, the sepsis subsided quickly, and she had her second round of chemotherapy on November 30. Mollie said: "The prognosis is looking good even though the tumour was the size of a football."
Mollie will then undergo one round of radiation - which doctors are hopeful should see her in full remission. Mollie said: "It's been hard leaving my baby, but my family have been so supportive, my mum, Amanda, 54, has gone with me to my appointments, and Tom has been great looking after Tommy but it's been very hard on him too.
"It's been tough, but I've just had to get on with it, I can't do anything about it, so I've just got to keep going. "Tommy is doing great, it has been very hard on Tom, but he's been occupied with the baby which has been a good distraction. Everyone has said they can't believe how happy I have been throughout it.
"When I found out, my mum and dad were both crying and both passed out. I didn't really break down, I just thought 'now I've got to get on with it' - it still hasn't really sunk in, I've barely had time to think about it."
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