'I was forced to terminate my pregnancy after being told I had aggressive cancer'
A devastated mum who was diagnosed with cancer while pregnant has spoken of her heartbreak after she was forced to choose between saving her own life or her unborn baby's.
Sophia Yasin was told she had an aggressive form of cancer when she was just 15 weeks pregnant in September last year. At first the 29-year-old believed she was simply suffering from pregnancy symptoms, but tests confirmed she had stage 2 pre mediastinal B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.
Doctors found a mass on Sophia's chest and explained that it was "growing rapidly". Devastatingly, the chemotherapy she needed meant it would pose a significant risk to her unborn baby and after an hour chat in the hospital with her husband Lewis they decided to terminate the pregnancy, Yorkshire Live reports.
'The pregnancy was happy but unexpected surprise,' Sophia, from Middlesbrough, said. "It was a great time as I was married and now I was building a family.
"Everything was ok until a few weeks after I took the test and started being sick, having night sweats and other issues. I asked my mum and other people about the symptoms but they had all just told me that it was normal pregnancy things and it would soon get better.
'I was really ill. I even called 111 and was admitted to hospital but even one of the paramedics told me that his wife felt the same as I did and that It was just pregnancy thing. Again I was told 'it would get better'.'
Sophia was taken to James Cook Hospital after collapsing on September 2 and despite doctors initially suspecting she had pneumonia, biopsy results confirmed that she had stage 2 pre mediastinal B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.
"I then went in for my initial appointment at the haematology ward with my oncologist. They explained that the previous scan had shown the mass on my chest was growing rapidly and it was close to my heart," she said.
"They were very adamant in doing treatment straightaway and they said that there's different kinds of chemotherapy, but the one that would be essential for myself would be RCHOP. RCHOP has certain chemicals in it that would be way too strong for the baby and there was risk of cerebral palsy and different sort of illnesses that the baby could contract.
"We had an hour in the hospital to talk about it then we just decided just to end the pregnancy so I could go into treatment." On September 21, "tiny" Kainatt Pearl was stillborn.
Sophia was declared in remission in January 2025 after having six rounds of chemotherapy. As a way of remembering Kainaat, she now wants to raise money for Lymphoma Action.
She said: "The pain hasn't gone away as I have been battling myself with bad mental health and anxiety, and even just the aftermath of all health especially the physical effects of cancer. It's coming up to a year so on September 12 this year, it'd be a year that I've got diagnosed with the cancer. So, I just thought what better way to commemorate the day then do something."
Along with friends and family, Sophia will be walking 7km in order to try and raise money for a charity so close to her heart. "In the midst of what should have been one of the happiest times of my life, I faced the unimaginable: fighting for my life while having to say goodbye to my baby girl, Kainaat," she wrote on the fundraising page.
"The diagnosis, treatment, and loss have left deep emotional and physical scars. Even now, in remission, the effects of cancer are still with me, from the toll it's taken on my body to the grief I carry daily.
"Throughout this journey, Lymphoma Action has been a light in the darkness. Their support, information, and community have helped me feel less alone during the hardest time of my life."
So far, £1,000 has been raised. "I look back now and think that Kainaat was a guardian angel who came to save my life," Sophia added. "Because of my symptoms, it could have been misdiagnosed but because I was pregnant - I was more of a priority and also pushed me to get seen. She really was a blessing." You can support Sophia's fundraiser here.
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