A cancer patient who lost the chance to have her own child due to cancer became a mother after her best friend offered to be a surrogate mother.
Amy Cronje, now 33, received a shocking breast cancer diagnosis shortly after marrying her husband Roche, 35.
Although he was diagnosed with a full recovery after radiation therapy and chemotherapy, a routine check-up a year later revealed that the disease had recurred and spread to his bones.
As part of her treatment, the speech therapist was given hormone medication, which significantly reduced her chances of becoming pregnant.
But when Carla Steenkamp found out that Mrs Cronje, who had always wanted to be a mother, was considering using a surrogate, she immediately volunteered.
Amy Cronje, now 33, was devastated when she was diagnosed with breast cancer shortly after marrying her husband Roche, 35. Pictured here with her best friend Carla Steenkamp.
As part of Mrs Cronje’s treatment, the speech therapist was given hormones which significantly reduced her chances of conceiving. Pictured here are Mrs Cronje, her husband Roche, Carla Steenkamp and Chaart after the birth of Jack.
After successful IVF treatment, the 31-year-old gave birth to a baby boy, Jack, in June – she already has two sons.
The 31-year-old, who already has two sons, gave birth to a baby boy, Jack, in June after successful IVF treatment.
“I cried many nights,” Mrs Cronje said, recalling the moment she received her shocking diagnosis.
“The cancer had spread to my bones so the doctor put me on hormones.
“It felt like all our plans were gone.”
One in seven women in the UK will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime, amounting to around 56,000 cases each year, making it the most common cancer in the UK.
In the United States, the number is approximately 300,000 per year.
85 to 90 percent of women diagnosed with primary breast cancer survive at least 5 years.
But secondary, or stage 4, breast cancer – which accounts for around 16% of all breast cancers in the UK and US – is much more difficult to treat.
This means that the cancer that started in the breast has spread to other parts of the body, usually the liver, lungs, brain or bones.
Carla Steenkamp had always wanted to be a mother, so when she heard that Mrs Cronje was considering using a surrogate, she immediately volunteered.
Before undergoing her first chemotherapy treatment, Mrs Cronje froze her embryos in the hope of using a surrogate mother.
According to Cancer Research UK, around a quarter of women with secondary breast cancer will survive cancer for more than five years after diagnosis.
Both chemotherapy and hormone therapy can affect fertility and make it harder to become pregnant.
However, hormone therapy can block or suppress hormones, leading women into early menopause and causing infertility.
Cronje froze the embryos before undergoing her first round of chemotherapy, with the hope of using a surrogate mother later.
When Mrs Steenkamp and her husband Tiart, 34, found out the couple were considering using a surrogate mother, they offered to help.
“I didn’t have to think twice, I felt God put it on my path and being a mother is amazing,” Mrs Steenkamp said.
Mrs. Stienekamp then began daily hormone injections to prepare her body, and the embryo was transferred in October 2023. Fortunately, the IVF was successful on the first try.
“I wanted to give the gift to a friend.”
She was examined by a gynaecologist before the couple took the necessary legal steps, including a parental order.
Steenkamp then began daily hormone injections to prepare her body, and the embryo transfer took place in October 2023.
Luckily, IVF was successful on the first try.
She said: “Tiart was fully supportive from the beginning.”
“He said he knows how much joy children bring us, why don’t we give that to someone else?”
“My youngest son kissed my belly every morning and every night and said hello to Auntie Amy’s baby.”
On June 9, she gave birth to a boy, named Jack Bruce.
Symptoms of breast cancer include a lump or swelling, a dimpling of the skin, a change in color, a discharge, or a rash or scab around the nipple.
Breast checks should be part of your monthly routine so you can notice any unusual changes. Simply rub and feel in semicircular, top-to-bottom, circular motions around the breast tissue to check for any abnormalities.
Mrs Cronje said she and Mrs Steenkamp were no longer friends but sisters.
Even though she is still undergoing treatment for cancer, she remains optimistic.
She added: “It was a really special moment for us.”
“To see that little body and know that she has overcome such huge obstacles and that because of her friends she can call herself a mom…it’s priceless.”
“Karla and I have a very unique friendship.
“I would say we’re no longer friends, we’re sisters.”
She added: “It was my biggest wish to become a mother and I never thought it would be possible, but Cara made it a reality.”
“It was so nice to know that my friends were willing to sacrifice so much for me.”
“We will always be in each other’s lives and we are so grateful for all she did.”
