Widow, 38, gives birth to husband’s child 16 months after he died from a brain tumour thanks to IVF

A woman who lost her husband to a brain tumor gave birth to her second child through IVF 16 months after his death.

Jasdip Sumal, 38, gave birth to Amandeep through IVF on April 9.

Her husband, Aman Sumal, was diagnosed with a grade four brain tumor in August 2020 after a seizure and headache.

He underwent chemotherapy and intensive radiotherapy, but unfortunately his health continued to deteriorate and he died in December 2021 at the age of 36.

After his death, Jasdip made the decision to fulfill her and Aman’s dream of having another child.

She gave birth to their daughter, Amandeep, via IVF on Easter Sunday, a week before what would have been Aman’s 38th birthday.

Jasdip, a data analyst from Ruislip, London, said: ‘We had our son through IVF in 2019 and we always planned to have another child but then Aman got sick and everything after that was a whirlwind so we got never the chance.

“I thought about doing it when he was still here.

“I knew he didn’t have long and thought it would be nice to tell him if he could understand me, but he passed away in December 2021 and after that I had to deal with the grief of losing him.

“I still wanted to start a family, though, and knew a good time would never come.”

She added, “It was always the plan to have a sibling for Rajan, and that was important to Aman too, so I decided to go through with it.

‘Aman’s strength is what showed me I could do it. He was so strong during what was an incredibly difficult time and I knew nothing I did would be harder than that.”

Aman was initially thought to have a low-grade tumor and was put on anti-seizure medication and referred for scans every three months.

However, after having another attack five months later, an MRI revealed concerns and he underwent debulking surgery.

A biopsy of Aman’s tumor revealed it was in fact a grade 4 glioblastoma (GBM), an aggressive brain tumor with a short prognosis of only 12 to 18 months.

Jasdip became pregnant in August 2022, eight months after Aman’s death.

In April, she gave birth to a healthy baby girl.

She said, ‘Aman was delighted with Rajan, but always said, ‘I have one of mine and it would be nice to have one of yours too.

“I know he would have been all about our daughter. It’s such a shame he’ll never get to meet her.

“It’s bittersweet, and I think that’s what everyone struggles with, but hopefully she’ll accept that Aman is gone and the next chapter for all of us is the kids.

“I have a big family and have had so much support all along.

“I couldn’t have done it without them.”

She continued, “My sisters-in-law came to my appointments with me and were my work partners, so I didn’t have to worry about being alone.

‘Aman was of course very much missed, but having the girls with me was the best alternative, and I’m really grateful for that.

“One of them even cut Amandeep’s umbilical cord, which was wonderful.”

Jasdip decided to name Amandeep after her late husband, something she said she had always intended.

She said, “I always knew I would call her Aman because in our religion it is a name for both sexes, but in the end I decided to combine parts of both of our names. I spelled mine differently, but the pronunciation is the same.

“I know that Aman will not be forgotten, but doing this will give us another memory of him.

“Hopefully both of our kids will grow up feeling like they know him.”

Jasdip and her family have been supporting brain tumor research since Aman’s diagnosis and continue to raise awareness and fundraise for the charity.

According to the charity, 16,000 people are diagnosed with a brain tumor in the UK each year and only 12 per cent of those diagnosed with a brain tumor survive for more than five years, compared with an average of 54 per cent for all cancers.

Jasdip said, “It is very close to our hearts now.

“We want to do everything we can to help others in honor of Aman. It’s what he would have wanted and it’s all we can do now to keep him alive.’

Charlie Allsebrook, community development manager for Brain Tumor Research, said: ‘We were overjoyed when we heard about Amandeep’s birth, which is such a blessing to her family.

Her mother, Jasdip, has shown incredible strength since Aman’s passing and is greatly admired by the Brain Tumor Research team.

Aman’s sad story is a strong reminder that brain tumors kill more children and adults under 40 than any other cancer, yet only 1 percent of national spending on cancer research is allocated to this devastating disease.

“We are determined to change this, but only by working together can we improve treatment options for patients and ultimately find a cure.”