Woman Gives Birth To Her Late Husband’s Baby Three Years After He Died Of Cancer

Nearly three years after her husband's passing, Sian Goodsell, 34, has brought their child into the world using embryos they had preserved earlier.

She shared, "it's nice to have a piece of him here," finding comfort in this special connection.

Sian has this year given birth to her late husband's baby years after his death Image: SWNS

In May 2019, while exploring Australia, Sian and her 30-year-old husband, Jason Goodsell, received the devastating news of his stage four bowel and liver cancer.

Despite proposing just days before, Jason fought courageously for two years. Tragically, he passed away on May 3, 2019, on the eve of their intended wedding celebration.

Meeting on Tinder, the couple wisely froze Jason's sperm before he began cancer treatment, setting the stage for Sian's journey as a single mother.

The successful transfer of their first embryo brought immediate pregnancy.

Despite a pregnancy that started out without complications, their daughter Matilda, now six months old, arrived more than four months before her due date.

Weighing a mere 560g, roughly the size of a bag of pasta, she bravely endured a 17-week stay in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).

Speaking exclusively to Mirror today, Sian, who is a nurse, from Sydney, Australia, said: "Jason was feeling unwell the day before the wedding and was walking from to the pub when he collapsed. An ambulance was called and police as it was in a public place. I arrived as they were still working on him.

Matilda was born more than four-months premature despite a healthy pregnancy Image: SWNS

"Everyone I speak with can't believe how well she's doing after being so premature. I believe Jason was with her every step of the way, looking out for her. I just know he's the reason she's doing so well."

Sian and Jason met on Tinder in 2014 and were due to marry before Jason's diagnosis. "I was travelling around Australia when Jason proposed on Valentine's Day 2017 whilst we were walking down the beach at sunset in Bunbury, Western Australia," Sian explained.

"Six days after he was diagnosed. He was so young. He had radiation, and chemotherapy, then had surgery and was fitted with an ileostomy bag. None of that was working and he decided to stop it."

Sian and Jason officially tied the knot on May 3, 2019, with plans to celebrate their wedding at Pioneer Village in Wilberforce, Sydney, the next day.

However, their joy turned to sorrow when Jason passed away on May 3, 2019, just before the event. He had spent the previous night at the venue with Sian.

Almost three years later, Sian felt ready to take a new path. She chose to undergo IVF using embryos created from Jason's preserved sperm.

Sian is pictured during her first time out of hospital with Matilda and her nurses Image: SWNS

Falling pregnant on the first round, she was having a textbook pregnancy until she went into ''extremely early'' labour. After heading to Napean Hospital, Sydney, Sian was informed she was in labour.

"I thought they were wrong. I knew how early she was an I didn't want it to be true, as a nurse I know how dangerous it can be," Sian added. Despite having steroids and being put on a magnesium drip to slow her labour, Matilda was "too impatient", and was born naturally at 4.56pm on December 26 2022.

"I didn't get to hold her. She was taken away but was breathing on her own for 15 minutes, and then was intubated to get taken to the NICU. I still couldn't believe she was here.''

Following her birth, Matilda spent three weeks at Napean Hospital before being transferred to The Children's Hospital at Westmead in Sydney.

The reason for her transfer was her diagnosis of Necrotising Enterocolitis (NEC), a severe condition causing inflammation and tissue death in the intestine.

This can result in a dangerous perforation, allowing intestinal contents to leak into the abdomen.

Jason Goodsell proposed to Sian six days before his cancer diagnosis Image: SWNS

On January 18, 2023, a four-hour surgical procedure was conducted to address Matilda's perforated bowel.

This required the placement of an ileostomy bag, which was eventually reversed. Subsequently, Matilda embarked on a challenging 17-week and two-day journey in the specialized Grace Centre NICU.

"I stayed at the hospital full-time," Sian said. "It was hard not having Jason there, to not have someone who was going through what I was.'' Finally, on 17 May 2023, Matilda was discharged from the NICU.

"It was exciting and overwhelming to be coming home," Sian said.

"She's now officially 6lbs 8oz. She's nice and happy, and I'm absolutely loving being a mum. I would love to say she looks like me, but she's the female version of her father. I tell her stories about Jason and I everyday, and talk about what he was like.

"She'll pull a face and look just like her dad. I always keep his memory alive and have photos throughout the house. Tilly will always know her dad. It's tiring being a single mum, but it's the best thing I ever did, and I would do it over and over to have her here."

Matilda is pictured in NICU as a tiny newborn Image: SWNS