A new mum from High Wycombe has shared the touching moment she told friends and family she was cancer free after battling the disease while pregnant.

Zoe Plastiras, 25, was 32 weeks into her pregnancy when doctors discovered a 12 cm tumour after she called 111 struggling to breathe in September 2022.

However, doctors were unable to confirm whether it was cancerous or not until after she gave birth. 

Her daughter Ophelia, now two-years-old, was born at 37 weeks on October 4, 2022, and in December of that year, Zoe underwent a biopsy which revealed she had lymphoma, a type of cancer that affects the lymphatic system.

After the diagnosis, Zoe underwent chemotherapy, radiotherapy and CAT T-cell therapy, treatment where a patient's T cells are changed in the laboratory to attack cancer cells.

And on October 16, 2024, the 25-year-old got the news she had been hoping for and was told she is cancer free.

Zoe, who works as a beautician in Wycombe, broke the news to her friends and family via Facetime in what she described as an "incredible moment" that brought her to tears.

 

@zoeplastiras 😭😭😭😭😭 16.10.24 CANCER FUCKING FREE AFTER 2 YEARS! GOD IS GREAT😭😭😭😭 #cancerfree #remission #fyp ♬ Yellow - Coldplay

"It was the most amazing thing I will ever hear in my life.

"Growing up, you think getting pregnant or getting married are the best things to happen to you but nothing will top me hearing that I'm cancer-free.

"I got my daughter a t-shirt that says, 'My mum beat cancer' and showed that to the camera.

"My friends and family were so excited - it was an emotional moment. I feel like I've started a new life and Christmas is going to be amazing."

Zoe and partner Joe Bird, 28, had found out they were expecting their first child in February 2022 - and had initially been over the moon about the news.

Even after the tumour was found, she didn't show normal lymphoma symptoms, which include fatigue, night sweats and unexplained weight loss.

(Image: SWNS)

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But after Ophelia was born via emergency c-section, Zoe said the cancer began to "take over", with her weight dropping from 11 stone to 9 stone and 2 lbs.

After being diagnosed in December, she spent the Christmas period "in limbo", waiting for a consultant to call her in the new year to discuss treatment options.

"I made sure I enjoyed myself - as a cancer patient, you're always thinking 'What if this is my last Christmas?'

"I had this awful wait, it was horrible, it was one of the worst times of my life. Then they called me on January 2."

Zoe then had six rounds of chemotherapy which shrunk the tumour down from 12 cm to 1 cm.

She also underwent radiotherapy but, just after Ophelia's first birthday, found out that it had grown again to 2.5 cm - a "devastating" turn of events.

"In October 2023, they started testing me again and I got put on a trial for inpatient chemotherapy.

"I would stay in hospital for four days and had one in January, February and March."

In July 2024, Zoe started CAR T-cell therapy and spent two weeks in hospital.

She had another scan three months after finishing the therapy and, at 4pm on October 16, she found out she was cancer free.

"I started making my way over to my mum's house and then I went to tell my dad.

"I then facetimed all my close family and friends - it was an amazing feeling.

"For the past two years, we haven't had any Christmas decorations in the house as I haven't felt like celebrating. This year, we're going all out."

You can follow Zoe's journey to raise awareness for lymphoma through her social media channels @zoeplastiras on TikTok and @lymphomawarenesszone on Instagram.