A young Scots mum tragically lost her baby, and faces months of aggressive treatment, after doctors discovered she had a rare cancer while pregnant.
Beth Ferguson from Bishopton, Renfrewshire, and her partner Robert wanted to expand their family after their daughter Daisy was born in 2022. They were expecting their second child a year later, but were left heartbroken after Beth, 29, suffered a miscarriage.
In early 2024, she was thrilled to find out she was pregnant again. However, in March she received devastating news at her 16-week scan.
She was diagnosed with a molar pregnancy – a rare condition where an unborn baby and its placenta develop abnormally, and cells in the body multiply into a cancerous growth.
Both Beth’s baby and the growth “had to be taken away” to save her life. She has allowed our sister title Glasgow Live to share her heartbreaking story.
A fundraiser has been set up by Anne Hughes, a close family friend, to support Beth’s family financially. It has since raised over £3,000 in donations from friends and family.
Anne said: “She was devastated. Everyone who knew her was. At first there was a lot of confidence that Beth could heal quickly from this and that she could hopefully go on to have more children.
“But things didn’t go to plan. Complications and cancer growth to her lungs and brain meant she had to have more treatment than expected.
“In December, just as we thought she’d reached the end of her treatment, came the results that cancer was still present and not only did Beth need to begin a more aggressive form of treatment with six months of chemo, she also needed a full hysterectomy at the age of 29. Dreams of a big family vanished.”
Six months of aggressive chemotherapy lie ahead for Beth, followed by three months of recovery to prepare her body for the hysterectomy, and another three months of recovery after the operation.
Anne added: “So many hard days lie ahead. While she had been on sick leave from her work, she has now resigned. She’s applied to DWP for benefits but that’s not as smooth a journey as we’d hoped and she’s still getting no financial support.
“Beth, Robert and Daisy have a mortgage and bills to pay, shopping to buy, a life that needs to be financed. And I’m hoping that we can all help them do this. I really don’t want money to be added to their already overwhelming list of worries.
“No matter how much you can donate it will be helping a wee family during the darkest storm of their life, and I can’t imagine a better way to support anyone.”
Beth has also shared her story on TikTok, which you can follow here. Her family’s fundraiser can be found here.
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