By Luke Voogt
Whenever Marcus Curypko looks at his “miracle” son Isaac he is thankful his wife Jenny was vigilant of breast cancer.
The Highton couple gave birth to Isaac on 2 May after Jenny, 39, survived the disease.
“We’ll be eternally grateful for all the medical support she’s had over the years,” Marcus said.
“We’re just blessed that Jenny’s still around and that after a lot of trying, cost and early mornings we were able to have Isaac.”
Jenny’s family history of breast cancer prompted the couple’s vigilance.
“Her mother had it and she’s still with us,” Marcus said.
“Jenny’s aunty had it twice and unfortunately the second time it claimed her life.”
Marcus will don “fanatically bright” socks in an 8km run on 24 June to encourage others to be vigilant of the disease.
“I think it’s great to get that message to the population that, it doesn’t matter how young you are, you can still get this,” he said.
Jenny had scans in 2012, which led to the early detection of a tumour and surgery before it could worsen.
She had her first round of IVF, which amazingly led to Isaac, before undergoing cancer treatment.
“Quite often women that have the treatment come out of it infertile,” Marcus explained.
Jenny also had a double mastectomy and reconstructive surgery because of her cancer risk.
Several years later, after additional IVF, the couple were losing hope of having a child.
“We were on a second-last chance and after that it was pretty much adoption,” Marcus said.
But then Jenny fell pregnant using her first round of IVF.
“Isaac wouldn’t be with us if it wasn’t the IVF folks up in Melbourne,” Marcus said.
“To be honest he’s a little bit of miracle.”
After a few weeks of crying at night Isaac has his “clock around the right way” and is “as predictable a six-week-old child can be”, Marcus said.
Marcus will join thousands Australia-wide next week as they ‘Go Pink’ to raise breast cancer awareness and money for research.
He urged locals to support the National Breast Cancer Foundation by visiting gopink.org.au.
“We kind of made a bit of a pact that was the charity that we would support.”
