Aussie mum’s miracle second baby after discovery of giant tumour

Just minutes after a mum gave birth to her son doctors told her they had found something dangerous.

Lynsey McDonald and Matthew Thomson with sons Lennox, 4, and baby Evander. Picture: Renae Droop

A tumour as big as the baby was discovered when a Queensland woman was giving birth.

When doctors discovered the giant 14cm tumour in Lynsey McDonald’s abdomen during an emergency caesarean, she feared it would be her first and only birth.

Just minutes after delivering her son Lennox, doctors at Mater Mothers’ Hospital asked her permission to remove her right ovary and fallopian tube when they found the tumour attached.

She called fiancé Matthew Thomson to her side to help her through the painful dilemma.

“I just couldn’t make the decision,” Ms McDonald said.

“Doctors wanted to remove my right ovary and Matt made the call and decided ‘You’re too important, take it off’

“All I wanted was to have another baby and I didn’t know if that would be possible if I only had one ovary.”

Mater Mothers' Hospital doctors removing the tumour. Picture: Supplied.

Four years on, and after suffering four miscarriages, Ms McDonald has given birth to her second ‘miracle’ child, Evander.

The proud mum, from Birkdale in Redlands, described her two boys as a “dream come true”.

“There I was in the midst of celebrating the birth of our first child when minutes later doctors were discussing the large mass that had been growing on my ovary,” she said.

“If Lennox hadn’t been born via an emergency caesarean section that day, the tumour could have continued to grow. I really think Lennox saved my life.”

Miracle baby boy Evander. Picture: Renae Droop

The ovarian teratoma was a non-cancerous Struma ovarii tumour, in which more than 50 per cent of the overall mass is made up of thyroid tissue.

Struma ovarii account for less than 1 per cent of all ovarian tumours and can be encountered both in young women and perimenopausal women.

The most common symptoms include abdominal pain, abdominal distention, abnormal menstrual cycles, vaginal bleeding, frequent and urgent urination, and deep vein thrombosis – none of which Ms McDonald experienced.

Mater obstetrician and gynaecologist Huda Safa said it was the first time she had seen an ovarian teratoma, also known as dermoid tumour, entirely made of thyroid tissue.

“Something like this is certainly not very common,” Dr Safa said.

“A decision was made as there were suspicions the tumour could be malignant,” Dr Safa said.

“The tumour looked aggressive.”

Originally published as Aussie mum’s miracle second baby after discovery of giant tumour