Mother who faced abortion after being diagnosed with cervical cancer while pregnant survives Angela Marsh, 27, was diagnosed while pregnant with baby Zachary Faced two impossible options - one was abortion then life-saving operation Or could delay surgery until baby was born and risk the cancer spreading Instead went for another pioneering, risky option - surgery while pregnant Is thought to be the first woman in Britain to have this type of surgery Zachary survived and was born weighing a healthy 7lb 2oz It's a moment every new mother dreams of - holding her son as he gets ready to celebrate his first birthday. But Angela Marsh, 27, feared it was a moment she might never see after being diagnosed with cervical cancer while pregnant with baby Zachary. She faced two impossible options - to abort her baby and then have a life-saving operation to remove her cervix, or delay surgery until the baby was born and risk the cancer spreading. Worry: Angela Marsh, 27, feared she might never meet her son Zachary after being diagnosed with cervical cancer while pregnant with him But she was also given a third, pioneering, choice - to undergo a high-risk operation during pregnancy without aborting her child - a procedure which carried a number of dangers. Mrs Marsh is believed to be the first woman in Britain to have the life-saving operation while pregnant. The procedure was carried out successfully by doctors at Wythenshawe Hospital with the support of Macmillan gynaecology nurse specialists. Zachary was born fit and well and next week will celebrate his first birthday with a special party at the hospital's Macmillan Information and Support Centre with the nurses and doctors who fought to keep him and his mother alive. Mrs Marsh said: 'I found that a couple of doctors had performed the operation successfully on women in the U.S. Decisions: Mrs Marsh faced two impossible options - to abort her baby and then have a life-saving operation to remove her cervix, or delay surgery until the baby was born and risk the cancer spreading Relief: But the pionnering option she went for involved a high-risk operation during pregnancy without aborting her child. Mrs Marsh is believed to be the first woman in Britain to have the life-saving operation while pregnant 'To kill my baby first then have the op just didn't make sense to me. I decided to go ahead but wasn't optimistic the baby would survive. I understood that even if the baby survived the initial operation, it would still be a high-risk pregnancy. 'In order to cope, I worked on coming to terms with the scenario that I would have no baby at the end of this ordeal so I didn't have to grieve for it if the worst happened. It was extremely difficult for me and my whole family. Mrs Marsh, from Westhoughton, near Bolton, was diagnosed with cancer after her first cervical screening test when she turned 25. She was referred to Manchester's Christie hospital for surgery but, after her pre-op, the nurses phoned to tell her the bitter-sweet news that she was pregnant. Mrs Marsh said: 'In order to cope, I worked on coming to terms with the scenario that I would have no baby at the end of this ordeal so I didn¿t have to grieve for it if the worst happened. It was extremely difficult for me and my whole family Once she made the decision to undergo the operation, doctors postponed surgery until the 11th week of her pregnancy to give Zachary the best chance of survival. Mrs Marsh, who is married to Rick and has another son, seven-year-old Alex, added: 'As the weeks went by and the chances of my baby actually surviving improved, I still could not allow myself to believe everything would be all right. As the pregnancy went on I began to accept I needed to buy some baby things, but there was no excitement in it. I left everything at other people's houses so there was nothing in my home. Luckily, there's a great team at Wythenshawe and the Macmillan nurses are extremely supportive. Zachary was delivered by Caesarean section, weighing a healthy 71b 2oz. He celebrates his first birthday this week Angela said: 'Only when I heard him cry did I allow myself to hope that everything was going to be OK.' Julie Kiernan, the Macmillan gynaecology nurse specialist at Wythenshawe who cared for Angela throughout her treatment, said: 'We believe this is the first time this operation has been performed on a pregnant woman in this country. No one should face cancer alone, so Angela had a whole team around her to ensure the risks were minimised and her baby was given the best chance of survival.