The twins born three years apart but conceived at the same time as their father fought testicular cancer Richard Norman was diagnosed with cancer in 2007 aged just 26 Antibiotics failed to treat 'lump found in his right testicle' Had his sperm frozen, and was used for the birth of son Charlie in 2010 Almost three years later, IVF treatment proved successful again and Georgina was born By Lucy Laing These are the twins - who were born nearly three years apart. Charlie and Georgina Norman were conceived at the same time with sperm frozen as their father Richard fought cancer. Yet Charlie was born in May 2010 - whilst his father was still fighting cancer - and his twin sister wasn't born until nearly three years later, in November last year. Miracle: Pictured are 'twins' Charlie and Georgina, with their delighted parents Happy now: After being diagnosed with testicular cancer, Richard decided to freeze his sperm, and the result is two children born three years apart They are a double miracle for Richard, 33, who has now beaten the disease and become a father - something he never thought possible. Mrs Norman, 33, a trainee accountant, said: "They are twins because they were conceived at the same time - even though I gave birth to them nearly three years apart. They were identical as newborn babies, but when people look at them, they can't believe that they were conceived at the same time, as Charlie is nearly three years older than his sister. They have such a close bond - just like twins - and when they are older we will tell them of their remarkable start in life. And they have been such a help to Richard as he has been fighting cancer. They have given him a reason to keep on fighting as he so desperately wanted to be a father. Thankful: The Normans didn't expect the IVF to be so successful Mr Norman, an operations manager for a printing company, was diagnosed with testicular cancer in August 2007, when he was just 26. He found a lump in his right testicle and went straight away to see the GP who gave him antibiotics. He said: "At first we thought it was a harmless lump and that it would disappear with the antibiotics, but after a few weeks it still hadn't gone down." Mr Norman was referred to Kettering General Hospital where tests showed that he had a large tumour. He said: "It was a bombshell. We had never expected such news. It was such a shock it was difficult to take in that I had cancer. Doctors told him that if he wanted to try having a family in later years, then he had just a few days before the operation to have his sperm frozen. He said: "I knew that I wanted to be a father, and even though I was still in complete shock and fighting for my life, I still wanted to be able to freeze some sperm to give myself a chance at being a father in later years." He had several sperm samples frozen and then underwent the operation to remove his entire right testicle. He then spent the next three years fighting the disease, which reappeared in April 2009. He had several months of gruelling chemotherapy treatment and eventually in July 2009, the couple were given the go-ahead to start IVF treatment. Mrs Norman said: "We were just focussed on trying to get Richard better, so our plans for a family were put on hold until Richard finished his chemotherapy. As soon as he had finished, that's when we decided to start trying. He was still ill as he had been diagnosed with another tumour in his lymph nodes and it hadn't shrunk, but we decided that it would give him something to fight for if we started the treatment. The couple, who live in Geddington, near Northampton, underwent a course of fertility treatment at CARE Fertility in Nottingham. Mr Norman's frozen sperm was used to fertilise the eggs. One embryo was put back into Mrs Norman's womb and the remaining four embryos were put into the freezer. Delight: After a painful few years of fighting cancer, Richard Norman has something he can be proud of The treatment was successful and Mrs Norman gave birth to son Charlie in May the following year at Kettering General Hospital, weighing a healthy 7Ib12. She said: "It was such an emotional moment when he was born. Richard had been through such a long battle, it was such a relief that he was finally through it all and he was a father at last. The thought of being a father is what kept him going through all of his treatment. He had an operation when I was five months pregnant to remove the tumour in his lymph nodes. He just wanted to fight through in order to see his baby born - it really gave him something positive to focus on. Similarities: Charlie and Georgina looked identical at their births The couple decided to start trying for a second baby in February last year. One of their frozen embryos was thawed out and put back into Mrs Norman's womb. She said: "We didn't really expect it to work first time, but two weeks later I discovered I was pregnant. It was like a miracle. Mrs Norman gave birth to daughter Georgina in November, weighing a healthy 8Ib8. She said: "We were thrilled when she was born. Both of them looked identical as newborn babies - which wasn't surprising considering they were conceived at the same time. But they do have very different personalities. Georgina is very laid back whilst Charlie knows what he wants. The twins are a miracle for Mr Norman, whose disease remains in remission. Mrs Norman said: "They really kept it going through it all and gave him a reason to keep on fighting. They have such a close bond between them and Charlie dotes on his little sister. When they are old enough we will tell them how they were conceived at the same time - even though they were born three years apart. Dr Rahnuma Kazem, Medical Director at CARE Fertility, who treated Mr Norman, said: "Freezing sperm is essential for men undergoing chemotherapy or radiotherapy for cancer. Charlie and Georgina would definitely not be here if his sperm hadn't been frozen. One cycle of IVF produced two babies, three years apart, which is a wonderful outcome.