Cancer survivor told she can’t adopt
After a year of adoption interviews, council tells would-be-mum her medical history is a problem
Cancer survivor Claire O’Shea and husband Kris have been told they can’t adopt because of Claire’s medical history. The blow has come after the couple spent a year undergoing adoption interviews, with Claire having been in remission for five years, reports the Telegraph.
Claire, 38, is sterile after undergoing chemotherapy, radiotherapy and stem cell replacement in order to beat non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Claire and Kris, 36, were accepted onto the adoption programme at North Somerset Council, where, amongst other things, the process saw the couple meet a social worker every two weeks to talk about their own childhoods, education, relationships and Claire’s cancer.
After a year, the council has said it wouldn’t allow them to adopt because of the risk of the cancer returning. "I have been told that after five years I will probably have no more chance of getting cancer than anybody else,” said Claire. The chances of Claire’s disease returning are currently estimated to be 20% This risk will drop to 12% in January, and in five years’ time no more check-ups will be required.
"It has been a shock and I feel flattened by it. Words can't describe how we feel - angry, upset, disbelief really, that they would take us this far.
"They knew from day one about my history and if they thought it may be a problem they should have told us there and then.
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"They have taken us on an emotional journey for a whole year and all for nothing.
"We have wasted a year of our lives with false hope to be back at square one with not many options left of having a family,” said Claire.
Claire was 19 weeks pregnant when she was diagnosed with lymphoma in 2005. She underwent an operation to have the tumour taken out of her stomach and sadly later lost her unborn baby. Claire ended up in intensive care, with a 1% chance of survival. However, she beat the cancer and had her final treatment in early 2006, and has never relapsed.
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