Motherhood after Childhood Cancer: Marlène’s Story – ‘It Will Be Impossible,’ They Said — But Here We Are, Parents at Last

In 2004, I was 16 years old when, after an interview with the oncologist who had been treating me for four years, I heard the words: “It will be very difficult for you to become a mother—if not impossible.” It was the third blow I had suffered after the leukaemia diagnosis and then the relapse. My world collapsed. I felt completely alone.

After that shock, I began to see my belly as a bottomless pit that grew deeper with each passing year. I was angry—at that doctor and at all the medical staff who had hidden this truth about my body, my health. I kept it all bottled up, buried deep inside, while showing the world a smiling face. Who could possibly understand what I was going through? I even began to wonder what the point of living was.

In 2007 I met my partner and I told him almost everything about my life story. By 2010, I felt ready to become a mother. Together, we made appointments with several gynaecologists and fertility specialists. Depending on the professional, the reactions ranged from crushing to hopeful. One said to me, “There’s nothing there, why did you even come to see me?”—referring to my reproductive system. A few weeks later, another specialist counted the remaining follicles that had survived the intensive chemotherapy, including a particularly harsh treatment before my stem cell transplant.

Parenthood is not what we imagined… it’s even better

After many painful experiences in hospitals, we quickly decided not to use assisted reproductive technology. Instead, we embarked on the path of adoptive parenthood. This journey too had its ups and downs, but we remained as strong as ever and deeply committed to becoming parents—committed to welcoming a child who was looking for the best possible parents.

And then, in 2019, we received “the magic call.” After 9 years of emotional gestation, a wedding and official adoption approval, we found out in less than a minute that we were finally parents. We cried tears of joy and slept only three hours that night, overwhelmed with happiness and emotion.

Less than a month later, we were with her—our daughter, our precious one. We spent three months together in her country of birth, Madagascar, in a bubble of love and transition. Since then, without a doubt, we have been the happiest people on Earth. Life as a family of three is beautiful and proves that we have defied many expectations.

We are proud of our family, of our unconventional paths and of the differences and similarities that unite us. Parenthood is not what we thought it would be… it’s even better.

To life!