Pregnant Woman, 29, Thought She Had Morning Sickness. Then, She Was Diagnosed with a Fast-Growing Cancer

A pregnant woman thought her extreme nausea was just regular morning sickness — until doctors told her it was actually cancer.

Sophia Yasin, 29, from Middlesbrough, England, found out she was pregnant in June 2024. She and her husband, Lewis Osborne, had just bought a house and were excited about the future, according to SWNS.

Soon after, Sophia began experiencing troubling symptoms.

“I was [vomiting] all day, every few hours. I was getting night sweats and itchiness through the night. I was very uncomfortable,” she told the outlet.

Friends and family reassured her that what she was going through was “normal” pregnancy sickness.

“Everyone told me it was very normal in the first trimester and should ease up,” she said. “I did have some worry, but I thought it was normal for my first pregnancy.”

But things became serious when Sophia collapsed at work during her second trimester.

“I remember seeing black, and I blacked out,” she told SWNS.

She was taken to the hospital, where doctors first thought she had pneumonia. Tests later revealed a tumor over her heart. In September 2024, Sophia was diagnosed with pre-mediastinal large B-cell non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma — a type of cancer that attacks the lymphatic system.

“I remember saying, ‘What does this mean for the baby?’ I remember being numb,” Sophia recalled.

Doctors explained that the tumor was growing quickly and she needed chemotherapy right away to survive. However, treatment could harm or even end her pregnancy.

After many painful discussions, Sophia and her husband made the heartbreaking choice to end the pregnancy.

Though devastated, Sophia later realized her pregnancy may have actually saved her life.

“Because I was pregnant, I was prioritized [within the health care system]. In a way, because I was pregnant, they found the cancer in time,” she told SWNS.

Sophia described the emotional struggle of dealing with cancer while also mourning her loss.

“I was grieving a baby but trying to have treatment,” she said. “I lost a lot in a short period of time. I went from looking at prams and cots to looking at wigs. I lost my hair, my baby and my old life.”

After six rounds of chemotherapy, Sophia went into remission in January 2025. But she said she will never forget her daughter, whom she and Lewis named Kainaat Pearl.

Doctors have advised her to wait two years before trying for another baby, as her risk of the cancer returning is highest during that time.

Now, Sophia is using her experience to help others. She started a GoFundMe to raise money for a charity walk supporting Lymphoma Action, a U.K. organization that helps people living with lymphoma.

“Last summer, my world changed forever,” she wrote on the fundraising page. “In the midst of what should have been one of the happiest times of my life, I faced the unimaginable: fighting for my life while having to say goodbye to my baby girl, Kainaat Pearl.”

“Every step we take is for Kainaat, for those still fighting and for those we’ve lost,” she added.

The fundraiser has so far collected $1,356 toward its $1,490 goal.