Man Fathers 'Miracle' Baby From Sperm Sample He Froze 26 Years Ago After Being Diagnosed With Cancer
Peter Hickles froze his sperm in 1996 after being diagnosed with cancer, now 26 years later, his fianc¨¦ gave birth to the couple's baby boy after using sperm
A man has fathered a baby from a sperm sample he collected twenty-six years ago - back in 1996.
Man Fathers 'Miracle' Baby From Sperm Sample Given In 1996
Peter Hickles from Colchester, Essex, in England, decided he wanted to freeze his sperm at the age of 21 when he was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma ¡ª a rare form of cancer. However, he used his sample after all these years to welcome his baby with fianc¨¦ Aurelija Aperaviciute. The baby was delivered by caesarean section and weighed 8lb 10oz.
Peter was earlier told that his sperm may last only for ten years but was glad that it helped him after all these years as well. At the time, the man had frozen his sperm, he was told that the cancer treatment may cause infertility.
Peter spoke to The Sun about this. He said: "I keep looking at him shaking my head in disbelief. He really is a little miracle. The fact that he was basically ready to go just before Euro 96 and was born before the World Cup is amazing. Football is definitely in his blood. Maybe he'll see Spurs win the league one day, who knows? It's incredible to think he's been in the deep freeze all this time."
Peter came to know about his cancer when he fell sick while playing for Grays, part of the Isthmian Football League. Initially, the doctors thought that the man had rheumatoid arthritis, which causes pain, swelling and stiffness in the hands, wrists and feet.
He was told by doctors to freeze his sperm
But two weeks after the man had landed in Australia after a whole year, the doctors spotted a tumour in his back. He was then diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma and he returned home for treatment.
Doctors asked Peter to return to the UK for treatment. The man was also asked to freeze his sperm given the fact that he could suffer from lifelong infertility due to chemotherapy. So, Peter decided to freeze his sperm.
He said: "It was a bit grotty having to do it. There were magazines left in a cubicle. "I'll never forget it ¡ª I had to hand the little plastic pot to reception and for some reason it's always a young woman. I had to wait for an hour while they checked the quality so I nipped off for a couple of pints and when I got back they said everything was fine.'After nine rounds of chemotherapy, he was left with no sperm count. However, after meeting his fiance and deciding to have a child, it was found out that his sperm was viable and they had one via IVF.
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Building, coordinating and crafting engaging content for lifestyle brand 'Evolve' at Indiatimes. Successfully revamping the lifestyle section including topics such as mental health, relationships, self, skin care, music etc. I collaborate with experts from various fields to gather insights and create well-structured pieces.
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