Doctors insisted Kelly Ladbrooke's health had to come first as she was told tiredness was in fact caused by a blood cancer rarely seen in pregnant women. She tells reporter Luke May of her determination to protect her unborn son and the worry of what chemotherapy might mean for him...

When Kelly Ladbrooke was diagnosed with leukaemia at 24-weeks pregnant, doctors said her health would have to come first.

Facing intensive chemotherapy, the Marden mum was determined to keep her unborn son.

She said: “The doctors took me to one side and told me I was their priority not the foetus, that’s what they called him.

“We already knew we were having a son, and we were going to call him Lenny.

“They said they didn’t know what chemo could do to him, I said well I’m not going to get rid of him if that’s what you’re trying to say.”

Despite being one of a handful of women to contract a rare form of leukaemia while pregnant, she went on to have a healthy boy who this week had his first day at school.

But when her illness first started, there was little sign of what would lay ahead.

The 39-year-old started getting chest infections and uncontrollable nose bleeds while pregnant with Lenny.

She said: “I’m not normally one to moan but maybe I should have.

“When I went to the doctors they told me 'you're pregnant and you've got a little boy to look after' and that was why I was poorly.

“It got really bad when I was at my mum and dad’s, they took me to Darent Valley Hospital to be checked.

“Straight away they gave me a blood transfusion and told me I was anaemic and they kept me in.

"It turned out I had contracted pneumonia.”

She was quickly diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) - a type of blood cancer that starts from young white blood cells called lymphocytes in the bone marrow - and transferred to King’s College Hospital in London.

Dr Deborah Yallop, the consultant haematologist who treated Kelly, said: “The chance of developing ALL while pregnant is extremely rare.

“Although King’s is a specialist centre for blood conditions and we treat patients from across south-east England, I have only seen three cases of patients diagnosed with leukaemia in pregnancy in the last six years.

“It was a really difficult decision for Kelly and her family. We discussed the different options available but she was determined to continue with the pregnancy so we carefully began chemotherapy.”

Kelly would spend the next four months at King's, having her first round of chemotherapy with Lenny still in her womb.

Lenny was delivered by Caesarian two months premature, but came out weighing 3lb12oz.

Kelly said: “It was a good weight for a premature birth, luckily he was a little chubster.

“He was whisked away to a neonatal ward after they delivered him, but I saw him the next day and they let me hold him.”

Lenny was allowed home after a month, but for the next year he received regular heart and brain scans to see if chemotherapy had affected him.

Today he’s a healthy four-year-old and on Tuesday he joined older brother Bobby at Yalding Primary School.

Kelly had to stay in hospital for a month after Lenny left.

The mum-of-two added: “When my mum and Chris, my husband, came to take Lenny home, that was the worst day because I couldn’t go home with them.”

Before she could leave hospital Kelly underwent a stem cell transplant to replace damaged blood cells.

"They didn't know what chemo could do to him, I said well I'm not going to get rid of him if that's what you're trying to say" - Kelly Ladbrooke

They were able to find a donor quickly as her little brother Steven was a perfect match.

The mortgage administrator said: “It’s mad to think I have his DNA now after the transplant, I better not commit any crimes or he’ll get the blame.

“It was tough being in hospital, when I was pregnant I knew I had to stay positive so my emotions didn’t affect Lenny.

“The hardest times were when all of my family would leave for the day and I’d be on my own, I might have had a little cry but the next day I’d pick myself up again."

Saturday will mark four years since Kelly has been in remission, but there was something she wanted to give back.

To thank the haematology and neonatal departments at King’s, Kelly held a red carpet event at Riano’s venue in Tonbridge Road, Maidstone.

The packed out event raised £3,300, which will go towards making patients more comfortable.

Kelly said: “No amount of money is enough to thank King’s for the care they provided but this is a gesture of our appreciation.”

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