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Bradley is Toni's tiny miracle

Laura Shannon
22/ 8/2007

COURAGEOUS Toni Connellan is enjoying life with her ‘miracle baby’ after winning her long battle with cancer.

With their new son, Bradley James and a new home in Witley Road, Newbold, to call their own, 19-year-old Toni and long-term boyfriend Steven Holt now have all they dreamed of.

She was first diagnosed with Hodgkin’s disease when she was just five years old. Many fund-raising events took place to support her family and her brave battle made the pages of the Observer time and time again.

There was some good news several years ago when she successfully beat the cancer – only for it to return just as she had planned a holiday to Florida with Steven.

However, she was then given the all-clear in late 2005 and since then life has got better and better. She has graduated from college and had the unexpected joy of Bradley – the child she never thought she could have.

She said: “I was told I might not be able to have children after I went through the chemotherapy and I felt gutted.

“You think you can always have children – you never think you are going to be told that. I hadn’t realised how having cancer can affect fertility.”

She started to feel a bit run down in April last year when she was studying for a hairdressing course at Hopwood Hall College.

She decided to take a pregnancy test and was stunned to see the positive result.

She said: “I took the test at college and brought it home to show my mum. We could only feel shock for about two weeks, but then I just couldn’t wait.

“He is my miracle baby, he is so gorgeous. I love him to pieces and it makes me cry sometimes just to look at him.”

Bradley was born at Rochdale Infirmary in January and in July there was more good news when she heard she had passed the hairdressing course and received her certificate.

She will now work part time at Louise’s hair studio in Belfield while Bradley attends nursery.

Grandmother Mandy Connellan, of Beal Crescent, Belfield, said: “We are overjoyed. Toni had been wondering if she could or couldn’t have a baby after chemotherapy and radiotherapy. We are so pleased with our new baby grandson.”

Toni took baby Bradley with her on her last visit to Christie Hospital, where she was given the thumbs up.