Woman who lost husband to brain tumour has IVF baby 16 months after he died

A woman who lost her husband to a brain tumour has given birth to their second child through IVF – 16 months after he died.

Jasdip Sumal, 38, gave birth to her second child, Amandeep, on April 9, over a year after her husband, Aman Sumal, passed away.

Aman was diagnosed with a grade four brain tumour after suffering a seizure and headaches in August 2020.

He underwent chemotherapy and intensive radiotherapy, but sadly, Aman’s health continued to deteriorate and he died in December 2021, aged 36, leaving behind his heartbroken wife and their much-adored two-year-old son, Rajan.

Following his death, Jasdip, took the decision to fulfil her and Aman’s dream to have another child.

She gave birth to their daughter, Amandeep through IVF on Easter Sunday, a week before what would have been Aman’s 38th birthday.

Jasdip, a data analyst from Ruislip, London, said: ‘We always planned to have another child, but then Aman got sick and everything after that was a whirlwind so we never got the chance.

‘I thought about doing it while he was still here. I knew he didn’t have long and thought it would be a nice thing to tell him if he could understand me, but he passed away in December 2021 and after that I was coping with the grief of losing him.’

However, Jasdip still wanted another baby and for Rajan to have a sibling, so decided to go ahead with the process despite her devastating loss.

‘Aman’s strength is what showed me I could do it,’ said the mum. ‘He was so strong during what was an incredibly hard time and I knew nothing I did would be harder than that.’

Initially, it was thought Aman had a low-grade tumour and he was given anti-seizure medication and referred for three-monthly scans.

But after his seizures continued, a series of scans showed he was in fact dealing with a grade 4 glioblastoma (GBM), an aggressive brain tumour with a short prognosis of just 12-18 months.

Jasdip fell pregnant in August last year, eight months after Aman’s death, and named her baby girl Amandeep after her late father.

She said: ‘I always knew I was going to name her Aman because in our religion it’s a name for both sexes, but in the end I decided to combine parts of both our names. I’ve spelt mine differently but the pronunciation is the same.

‘I know Aman won’t be forgotten but doing this gives us another memory of him. Hopefully both our kids will grow up feeling like they know him.’

Jasdip describes her pregnancy as ‘bittersweet,’ but is thankful for loved ones rallying around to help her through without Aman.

‘I know he would have been all over our daughter. It’s just such a shame he won’t ever get to meet her,’ she explained.

‘Hopefully she’ll bring acceptance that Aman’s gone and that the next chapter for all of us is the kids.

‘I have a big family and had so much support throughout. I couldn’t have done it without them.’

Her sisters-in-law came to her appointments with her and were Jasdip’s labour partners, which helped her avoid ‘the worry of being alone.’

Jasdip said: ‘Aman was obviously very missed, but having the girls with me was the next best thing, and for that I am truly grateful.

‘One of them even cut Amandeep’s umbilical cord, which was lovely.’

The family have also supported Brain Tumour Research since Aman’s diagnosis and continue to raise awareness and funds for the charity, with Jasdip commenting: ‘We want to do all we can to help others in Aman’s honour – it’s what he would have wanted and is all we can do now to keep him alive.’

According to the charity, 16,000 people each year are diagnosed with a brain tumour in the UK and just 12% of those diagnosed with a brain tumour survive beyond five years compared with an average of 54% across all cancers.

Charlie Allsebrook, community development manager for Brain Tumour Research, commented: ‘We were over-the-moon to learn about the birth of Amandeep, which has come as such a blessing for her family.

‘Her mum, Jasdip, has shown incredible strength since Aman’s passing and is much admired by the team at Brain Tumour Research.

‘Aman’s sad story is a stark reminder that brain tumours kill more children and adults under the age of 40 than any other cancer, yet just 1% of the national spend on cancer research has been allocated to this devastating disease.

‘We’re determined to change this but it’s only by working together we will be able to improve treatment options for patients and, ultimately, find a cure.’

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