A woman whose husband died of a brain tumor two years ago has now become pregnant for the first time after 10 consecutive attempts at IVF technology.
Stuart Bathers, a 40-year-old from Cheltenham, UK, died on November 21, 2021, while undergoing treatment for glioblastoma, a type of stage IV cancer.
Esther Bathers, 44, had completed two rounds of IVF before her husband’s death, but after Stuart’s death, Esther decided to continue the effort as per her wish.
According to Esther Bather, “It looks like a miracle. ‘
“My point in saying all this is that every child is a miracle, but for me personally, it’s probably more than a miracle for me to get here after two miscarriages and constant disappointments and failures and get pregnant,” she added. ‘
The couple started using IVF technology for childbirth in 2021, just two rounds before Bather was diagnosed with brain cancer and died of a lung embolism just two months later.
After that, Esther Bathers made eight more attempts to get pregnant with the help of IVF, while also continuing to work on an organization called Inside Stuart Head, an organization that was also raising a fund to help other cancer patients.
Esther Bathers said her story is based on “hope” and “effort” or “constant struggle” and she is glad she did not give up despite the emotional and financial pressures of ivf’s private funding.
“I was wondering if my body is failing because of my age or because I shouldn’t, all these things are going on in some corner of your mind. ‘
“Stuart stood by me at every step of the way and we had all kinds of preparations complete with each other’s consent,” she adds. ‘
Esther and Stuart met in June 2020 and fell in love soon after their first picnic date at Pitwell Park in Cheltenham.
“We started planning to further strengthen our relationship, we not only expressed our desire to become parents on our first date, but also started planning for it. ‘
‘A dream-like reality’
In January 2021, Stuart was hit by a door, after which he was constantly facing difficulty in remembering the name, in view of this situation, when he underwent a CT scan, there was evidence that he was suffering from a certain type of cancer in the brain.
Less than two weeks after being diagnosed with cancer, they got engaged and then got married very quickly, all at a time when they met each other and it had only been a year.
“We got married in such a hurry that I didn’t even have time to buy a wedding pair, a friend ordered a pair and a friend got my bouquet ready. ‘
Esther said that being 24 weeks pregnant feels “real”. “It’s very important for me to be a mother, but the most important thing for me is that I will be the mother of Stuart’s child. I always knew that after his death I would continue this effort as long as I had the courage. ‘
Before he died, Stuart Bathers wanted to help others and set up his own organization, Inside Stuart Head, so that he could help other families in trouble.
This included the Stuart Bathers Fund, which helps others with brain cancer get help.
Esther Bathers said she looks forward to continuing Stuart’s legacy through the foundation and making sure her child knows who their father is.
“Stuart will always be a big part of the child’s life and I’ll make sure he knows about his father’s story and legacy. ‘
“He won’t lack love, everyone here in this world is so desperate to meet him,” she says. ‘