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1 hour ago Press Association Liam was diagnosed with stage four bile duct cancer in April 2025 A man who was diagnosed with cancer says his sperm donation one hour before he started chemotherapy led to the birth of his "miracle" daughter. Luke, 38, from Lincoln, was diagnosed with stage four bile duct cancer in April 2025. On the morning he started treatment he donated his sperm for IVF with his partner, Lois.
Their daughter Birdie was born in July 2026. Liam said: "If I didn't have Lois and Birdie, I think cancer would control my life. It would dictate what I do hour by hour, minute by minute and I'd constantly be thinking about it.
But I've got so many happy distractions in my life that I can take control back." Liam, who is a former supermarket area manager, started dating Lois in December 2024. In March 2025, he said he was "the fittest" he had ever been when he started experiencing flu-like symptoms. Three days later, he said he noticed a "slight yellow tinge" to his eyeballs and skin, so went to Lincoln County Hospital.
Press Association Birdie was born in July 2026 A CT scan revealed a stricture in his bile duct. During an MRI, doctors discovered he had stage 4 cholangiocarcinoma and 12 inoperable tumours that had spread to his liver. Lois said they were "told to think of months, not years".
Liam was put on a waiting list for chemotherapy, and the couple said they were told it was unlikely Liam would be fertile after his cancer treatment. As Liam had two children from a previous relationship, Darcy, 11, and Rory, 9, the couple did not qualify for NHS funding for IVF. However, in May, they said they were contacted by the Nurture Fertility clinic in Nottingham who confirmed they could go ahead with IVF if they could get a sample before his treatment started.
A follow-up scan after six-months of chemotherapy also showed all of his tumours had "either gone or reduced in size" except for two, including the primary one in his bile duct. Liam said it was "amazing" in October to find out that their first round of IVF had been successful. Lois described Birdie's birth in the following July as "amazing".
"She really is just the perfect baby," she added. Press Association Liam said without Lois and Birdie cancer would "control [his] life" Liam has had to start another round of chemotherapy due to further metastatic spread to his lung. He said he feels "pretty rough" trying to manage his terminal diagnosis, but is "confident" he can see the next six months through.
Liam has shared his story as part of the Voices of Cholangiocarcinoma film, which will be screened to MPs and NHS leaders today by AMMF, the Cholangiocarcinoma Charity. He added: "I just want to give other people who are living with the same cancer hope. "Being here for the birth and being here for three months old, it's just a win.
"There's so much that I want to live for." Liam will also attempt the Yorkshire Three Peaks Challenge later this month to raise money for the charity. More on this story
Source: BBC
