Rebecah Hackney

Rebecah Hackney is a 26-year-old from the Hunter Valley, NSW  whose journey through a life-changing diagnosis has inspired many. In June 2023, at the age of 24, Rebecah was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma. One of her first of many concerns was how this would affect her fertility, as she and her fiancé, Cooper had hoped to start a family. Rebecah and Cooper made the decision to create and store embryos before she began chemotherapy to hopefully one day have that family they had always dreamed of. However, on her 25th birthday  she received unexpected news—she was already pregnant. With the support of her medical team, Rebecah and Cooper explored the possibility of continuing the pregnancy while undergoing cancer treatment. This was uncharted territory for her doctors, but after thorough discussions, they decided to proceed. Rebecah began chemotherapy (ABVD) in her second trimester, under the close supervision of her hematology and high-risk pregnancy teams. Her unique pregnancy involved specialized care, including low-dose PET scans and bi-weekly ultrasounds. Despite the challenges, Rebecah’s resilience paid off. She reached remission after completing 4 out of 8 chemotherapy treatments and completed her full treatment in January 2024. In February 2024, she welcomed a healthy baby boy, marking the end of an extraordinary journey filled with courage, hope, and determination.

Session: Fertility in AYAs

Date: Thursday 5 December

Time: 1.30pm to 3.00pm