26 May 2023 , 20:28
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A mother has given birth to her husband's second child through IVF - 16 months after he died.
Jasdip Sumal, 38, lost partner Aman to a brain tumour in December 2021 but both she and Aman had always hoped of a second baby to join then two-year-old son Rajan.
But Jasdip, a data analyst, took the decision to fulfil her and Aman's dream and, on April 9, she gave birth through IVF to their daughter Amandeep.
Speaking today from her home in Ruislip, West London, Jasdip said: "Aman's strength is what showed me I could do it. He was so strong during what was an incredibly hard time and I knew nothing I did would be harder than that.
"We had our son through IVF in 2019 and we always planned to have another child, but then Aman got sick and everything after that was a whirlwind so we never got the chance."
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Jasdip, pictured with Amandeep and son Rajan, said she and her husband always wanted another baby (Brain Tumour Research / SWNS)
Aman Sumal, pictured with his son Rajan, had a brain tumour and died in December 2021 (Brain Tumour Research / SWNS)Aman was diagnosed with a grade four brain tumour after suffering a seizure and headaches in August 2020.
The dad underwent chemotherapy and intensive radiotherapy, but sadly, Aman's health continued to deteriorate and he died in December 2021, aged 36.
Jasdip continued: "I knew he didn't have long and thought it would be a nice thing to tell him if he could understand me, but he passed away in December 2021 and after that I was coping with the grief of losing him.
"I still wanted to have a family though, and knew there would never be a good time.
"It was always the plan to have a sibling for Rajan, and that was important to Aman too, so I decided to go ahead with it."
Initially, it was thought Aman had a low-grade tumour and he was given anti-seizure medication and referred for three-monthly scans.
However, after having another seizure five months later, an MRI showed areas of concern and he underwent debulking surgery.
A biopsy of Aman's tumour revealed it was, in fact, a grade 4 glioblastoma (GBM), an aggressive brain tumour with a short prognosis of just 12-18 months.
Jasdip fell pregnant in August 2022, eight months after Aman's death, and on Easter Sunday she gave birth to a healthy baby girl whom she named Amandeep.
She added: "Aman was over-the-moon with Rajan but always said 'I have one of me and it would be nice to have one of you too'.
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"I know he would have been all over our daughter. It's just such a shame he won't ever get to meet her.
"It's bittersweet, which is what I think everyone struggles with, but hopefully she'll bring acceptance that Aman's gone and that the next chapter for all of us is the kids.
"I have a big family and had so much support throughout. I couldn't have done it without them.
"My sisters-in-law came to my appointments with me and were my labouring partners, so I didn't have the worry of being alone.
"Aman was obviously very missed, but having the girls with me was the next best thing, and for that I am truly grateful.
"One of them even cut Amandeep's umbilical cord, which was lovely."
Jasdip decided to name Amandeep after her late husband, something she says she always planned to do.
She said: "I always knew I was going to name her Aman because in our religion it's a name for both sexes, but in the end I decided to combine parts of both our names. I've spelt mine differently but the pronunciation is the same.
"I know Aman won't be forgotten but doing this gives us another memory of him.
"Hopefully both our kids will grow up feeling like they know him."
Jasdip and her family have supported Brain Tumour Research since Aman's diagnosis and continue to raise awareness and funds for the charity.
According to the charity, 16,000 people each year are diagnosed with a brain tumour in the UK and just 12% of those diagnosed with a brain tumour survive beyond five years compared with an average of 54% across all cancers.
Jasdip said: "It's very close to our hearts now.
"We want to do all we can to help others in Aman's honour - it's what he would have wanted and is all we can do now to keep him alive."
Charlie Allsebrook, community development manager for Brain Tumour Research, said: "We were over-the-moon to learn about the birth of Amandeep, which has come as such a blessing for her family.
"Her mum, Jasdip, has shown incredible strength since Aman's passing and is much admired by the team at Brain Tumour Research.
"Aman's sad story is a stark reminder that brain tumours kill more children and adults under the age of 40 than any other cancer, yet just one per cent of the national spend on cancer research has been allocated to this devastating disease.
"We're determined to change this but it's only by working together we will be able to improve treatment options for patients and, ultimately, find a cure."