A father diagnosed with terminal cancer at 37 has welcomed a daughter after donating sperm for IVF just an hour before starting chemotherapy. Liam Bradley, now 38, was diagnosed with stage 4 cholangiocarcinoma—bile duct cancer—in April 2025, after initially believing he had a minor illness. Scans revealed 12 inoperable tumours that had spread from his bile duct to his liver.
Despite being told to prepare for months rather than years, Liam and his partner, Lois Rose, 30, were determined to have a child together. Their daughter, Birdie, was born on July 15, 2026, after their first round of IVF proved successful.
Diagnosis and Early Symptoms
Liam, a former supermarket area manager, said the timing of his sperm donation was crucial, with a fertility clinic agreeing to open early so he could provide a sample before beginning treatment. “If I didn’t have Lois and Birdie, I think cancer would control my life,” Liam told PA Real 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.”
The couple met at the gym and began dating in December 2024, just four months before Liam’s diagnosis. In the months before becoming ill, he had been exercising regularly, playing football three times a week, as well as golf. “The three months leading up to when I got diagnosed with cancer was the fittest I’d been in my entire thirties,” Liam said.
His first symptoms appeared on March 6, 2025, while playing golf with friends. He experienced shivers, fatigue and a fever, which he initially thought were signs of flu. After three days, he noticed a change in the colour of his skin and eyes, prompting him to seek medical attention. Liam said: “On the third day, I was really struggling and noticed a slight yellow tinge to my eyeballs and skin.”
From Gallstones to Stage 4 Diagnosis
At Lincoln County Hospital, doctors initially suspected gallstones. A CT scan identified a stricture, or narrowing, in his bile duct, although cancer was not initially suspected. Liam waited more than three weeks to have a stent fitted at Queen’s Medical Centre in Nottingham. During that time, his jaundice worsened and he developed intense itching, a rash and burning sensations across his body.
The symptoms improved after surgeons inserted the stent, and Liam was expecting to undergo further surgery to remove the blockage. However, an MRI on April 11 revealed the devastating extent of his illness, with 12 tumours discovered in his liver and bile duct. Liam said: “When they showed us the scan, it looked like a stone with very small speckles on it. The staff were ever so kind, but I was just a bit frustrated because I thought I was going to have surgery.” The cancer had spread to his liver, making surgery impossible and confirming a stage 4 diagnosis.
“We were told to think of months, not years,” Lois said of Liam’s prognosis. Liam added: “To come home with 12 tumours after appearing at A&E with what I thought was one was life-changing.”
IVF and the Birth of Birdie
With chemotherapy approaching, the couple were warned that Liam might be left infertile by treatment. He already had two children, Darcy, 11, and Rory, nine, from a previous relationship, meaning he was not eligible for NHS-funded IVF. Nevertheless, he and Lois were determined to try for a baby.
While on holiday in Rhodes, they received an unexpected phone call that gave them a chance to make it happen. The couple were taking part in a walking tour in the mountains when Liam noticed several missed calls from Nurture Fertility clinic in Nottingham. “It was the Nurture Fertility clinic in Nottingham saying that we could go ahead with IVF if I could get a sample to them before I started chemo,” Liam, from Lincoln, said. “The clinic staff were brilliant (and) they said they’d open at 8am for me on Monday. Thank goodness our Sunday night flight wasn’t delayed (because) I got there in time to give a sample and then rushed to Lincoln (Hospital) to start chemo an hour later.”
Liam began a six-month course of chemotherapy on May 12, 2025. He said he was surprised by how well he tolerated the treatment, experiencing little more than some hair thinning and continuing to exercise and play sport. “I was still playing sports throughout, exercising and going to the gym,” he said. A follow-up scan after six months brought further unexpected news, showing that all but two of his tumours had either disappeared or reduced in size. The remaining tumours included the original cancer in his bile duct.
Around the same time, in October 2025, the couple discovered their first round of IVF had been successful. They later welcomed Birdie, whom Lois described as a dream baby. “The birth was amazing,” Lois said. “She really is just the perfect baby. She sleeps six to seven hours at night, she’s breastfed perfectly from the beginning and she’s really content.”
Ongoing Treatment and Raising Awareness
Despite his initial response to treatment, Liam's condition has since become more difficult to manage. He experienced complications while receiving immunotherapy and was admitted to intensive care with a gallbladder infection in May 2026. He has since started another course of chemotherapy after the cancer spread further, this time to his lung. Although he said he feels “pretty rough” dealing with his terminal diagnosis, Liam remains “confident” he can get through the next six months.
He has also received support from AMMF, a charity dedicated to raising awareness of and supporting people affected by cholangiocarcinoma. He is now sharing his experience in the charity’s Voices of Cholangiocarcinoma film, which will be screened to MPs and NHS leaders on October 14. Liam hopes his story will offer encouragement to others facing the same diagnosis. “I just want to give other people who are living with the same cancer hope,” Liam said. “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 is also planning to take on the Yorkshire Three Peaks Challenge on October 27 to raise money for the charity. Donations can be made on his GoFundMe page. For more information about cholangiocarcinoma, visit AMMF at ammf.org.uk.
