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'Our miracle baby after cancer and IVF failure'

Martin Giles/BBC Lady with brown hair, glasses and a flowery dress and beige cardigan smiling. Man with short sandy hair, glasses and checked shirt and blue V-necked sweater smiling. Boy toddler sits between them on the sofa with stripy jumper with dinosaur on it. Martin Giles/BBC
Rose and Tom with their son Freddie

A couple have described their joy at having a "miracle baby" after a cancer diagnosis and unsuccessful fertility treatment.

Childhood sweethearts Tom and Rose, from Norwich, had been looking forward to starting a family when Tom discovered he had testicular cancer at the age of 28 and had to undergo an urgent operation and chemotherapy.

They turned to IVF in the hope of having a baby so when it failed and Freddie was conceived naturally three years later, it came as a wonderful surprise.

"He really is a miracle baby. I think we really treasure that because we didn't know we would have that situation," says Rose, 33.

Contributed A brunette woman is wearing a wedding dress and carrying a bouquet. A sandy haired man is wearing a grey three-piece suit and pale blue tie with a flower in his lapel. Both are smiling.Contributed
Rose and Tom married after meeting each other at college

Tom noticed a swelling in his groin one Sunday in March 2019.

He went straight to see a GP who found a lump in his testicle and was told his quick action was the reason the cancer had not spread.

"I almost felt a bit numb, a bit blind to it," says the secondary school maths teacher.

"I knew the steps that needed to be taken but it was almost worse for everybody else."

The shock of the diagnosis had a profound effect on Rose, who felt all their future plans were in doubt.

Years later she felt ready to write a poem about the experience and the emotions that came with her husband's sudden diagnosis.

"I just sat down with my laptop and started typing. It was if it was meant to be. The words just flowed," she explains.

The poem was initially just for Tom, also 33, to read, but after they shared it with friends it has now has been turned into a film by the local Norfolk charity "On the Ball", and is even up for a national award.

Martin Giles / BBC Woman with wavy brown hair smiling to camera. She had a cardigan on over a floral top. Martin Giles / BBC
Rose's poem captures the emotions she felt five years ago when Tom was diagnosed with testicular cancer
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Tom underwent chemotherapy and lost his hair during treatment

Tom's round of chemotherapy at the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital was expected to affect his ability to have a child so he decided to bank his sperm for fertility treatment.

When IVF failed, the couple instead took the decision to look into the possibility of adopting.

They were left overjoyed when Rose discovered she was pregnant and Freddie was born at the Norfolk and Norwich Hospital in 2023.

Contributed Brunette woman, wearing glasses and pale blue cardigan stands with sandy haired man wearing a grey hoodie. Both are smiling and he is holding a sleeping newborn baby in a pale blue babygrow.Contributed
Rose and Tom say Freddie's arrival came after IVF attempts failed
Martin Giles / BBC A smiling sandy haired man with dark glasses. He is wearing a navy blue V-neck sweater over a patterned shirt. He is sitting on a sofa with a lamp in the background. Martin Giles / BBC
Tom is now using his experiences to talk to youngsters about the importance of early diagnosis

Five years on from his diagnosis, Tom has been given the all-clear.

He is now keen to raise awareness about what is the most common cancer in men aged 15 to 35 where early treatment is crucial.

Tom holds assemblies at the school where he teaches, to educate the boys about the symptoms.

"We just hope the film will influence people to go and get themselves checked," he says. "I'm a very positive person and I feel my job now is to help others."

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It's on the Ball charity