Four years ago, doctors discovered a giant tumour in Lynsey McDonald’s abdomen as they were delivering her first baby via c-section. And she had to make a heartbreaking choice while still on the operating table.

The joy of having given birth to her son Lennox was completely overshadowed, as the Queensland mum was asked by the doctors if they had her permission to remove her right ovary, fallopian tube and the 14cm tumour.

“I just couldn’t make the decision,” Lynsey said.

So she asked her fiancé Matthew Thomson for support.

“Doctors wanted to remove my right ovary and Matt made the call and decided ‘You’re too important, take it off!’

“All I wanted was to have another baby and I didn’t know if that would be possible if I only had one ovary.”

The pregnancy had already been challenging for Lynsey, who was diagnosed with pre-eclampsia. It was the reason obstetricians at Mater Mothers’ Hospital had decided to perform the emergency c-section.

“There I was in the midst of celebrating the birth of our first child when minutes later doctors were discussing the large mass that had been growing on my ovary,” Lynsey explained.

“If Lennox hadn’t been born via an emergency caesarean section that day, the tumour could have continued to grow. I really think Lennox saved my life.”

The ovarian teratoma was a non-cancerous Struma ovarii tumour, which usually causes abdominal pain, abdominal distention, abnormal menstrual cycles, vaginal bleeding, frequent and urgent urination, and deep vein thrombosis. But Lynsey had no symptoms.

The couple thought Lennox could well be their only child. He was a miracle, having grown beside the tumour for nine months.

But Lynsey and Matthew desperately wanted another baby, but they suffered multiple heartbreaking losses.

“We both really wanted another baby. Maintaining the pregnancies was difficult – we had four miscarriages back-to-back and it was a really difficult time for Matt and I.”

Genetic testing discovered that Matthew had a genetic abnormality called Robertsonian translocation, which can cause infertility.

Incredibly, Lynsey fell pregnant naturally last year with their second miracle boy – Evander, who was born in June this year.

“We are so happy we maintained the pregnancy with Evander and we are so, so grateful that we have our little family,” she said.

“I hold my boys in my arms and I just can’t believe it, my dreams have come true.

“I am so proud of my body, after such a tough time trying to maintain a pregnancy, we have another little miracle which we created with one ovary!”