Daily Telegraph fashion editor Elle Halliwell will immediately start her cancer treatment following the birth of her first child.
The journalist, who’s leukaemia diagnosis coincided with her pregnancy, gave birth to a healthy baby boy on Tuesday night.
Welcome to the world #BabyBiasotto ????❤️????
A photo posted by Elle Halliwell (@ellehalliwell) on
The 31-year-old put her treatment on hold during her pregnancy but she is expected to start chemotherapy treatment within days.
“We were going to have a bit of time before [I started treatment] but my levels have gone up a bit so they [doctors] are a bit more concerned than they were, and that is why we had to have him at 36 weeks on the dot and not 37 so that I could start the treatment as soon as possible,” she told The Daily Telegraph.
The new mother said she was “over the moon” with the birth of her son, Tor Felix Biasotto.
“He is a strong little boy. He has survived a lot so we think it is a fitting name for him … and it is easy to spell,” she said.
Halliwell was diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML) 48 hours before she found out she was pregnant.
The rare cancer affects around 300 Australians every year and most patients diagnosed with CML need to take medication that can’t be taken during pregnancy.
However, Professor Timothy Hughes helped see Halliwell’s pregnancy through.
“If I am healthy, then I can keep him [Tor] healthy. We are both very lucky. All is well that ends well,” she said.
The brave mother admitted being nervous about her next challenge but she hopes she will “beat the odds”.
“I’ll be the cancer unicorn. I will be okay. It is just getting into the habit of it all.”
