A mother-of-two who is battling an aggressive form of breast cancer says she'd take the disease 'any day' over the pain of losing a child.

Elizabeth Hutton, 36, from Ripley, Surrey, who is CEO of the charity Kicks Count, a charity that campaigns to prevent stillbirth, lost her son Toby midway through her pregnancy in May 2010.

Last month, Elizabeth who is a single mum to Emily, seven, and Joshua, four, was diagnosed with Invasive Lobular Cancer and faces a double mastectomy followed by chemotherapy.

Elizabeth Hutton, 36, from Ripley, Surrey, (pictured with her daughter Emily) who is CEO of the stillbirth charity Kicks Count has been diagnosed with breast cancer and needs a mastectomy and chemo, but says that she'd rather face the battle ahead than experience the pain of losing a child 

Elizabeth Hutton, 36, from Ripley, Surrey, (pictured with her daughter Emily) who is CEO of the stillbirth charity Kicks Count has been diagnosed with breast cancer and needs a mastectomy and chemo, but says that she'd rather face the battle ahead than experience the pain of losing a child 

A book called 'Mummy's Lump' has helped Elizabeth's four-year-old son Joshua to understand she has cancer 

A book called 'Mummy's Lump' has helped Elizabeth's four-year-old son Joshua to understand she has cancer 

But in an emotional blog post on the charity's website, she explained how the pain of her son's death has taught her that she can cope with anything. 

'I went into hospital pregnant with my son and I left with empty arms. I went from feeling little tiny feet kicking to rubbing an empty belly,' she recalled. 'And after leaving the hospital things didn’t get any better.'

'There were post-mortem results, the funeral, burying the ashes, visiting the grave, seeing pregnant women and babies everywhere. It was relentless.

'There were no breaks. There were no hair cuts that could have made things better. There were no spa days to take my mind off things. There were no self deprecating jokes to be made. There was just hell every single day. Pure Hell.'

Elizabeth fell pregnant for the second time after having her daughter Emily (pictured) but lost her son Toby at 21 weeks due to placental abnormality 

Elizabeth fell pregnant for the second time after having her daughter Emily (pictured) but lost her son Toby at 21 weeks due to placental abnormality 

 Elizabeth with Emily and Joshua on her 'cancermoon'. She took the children to CBebbies Land at Alton Towers to enjoy family time before her treatment begins in the coming weeks 

 Elizabeth with Emily and Joshua on her 'cancermoon'. She took the children to CBebbies Land at Alton Towers to enjoy family time before her treatment begins in the coming weeks 

By contrast, while battling cancer, Elizabeth says that there are lots of things people can do to help her through.

'My friends and family around me can offer practical support, they can take me out for drinks, we can joke about my new boobs and bald head and with all that help this seems a lot less daunting,' she said.

'That wasn’t the case after Toby. There was nothing anyone could do. Cancer can be treated. They can hopefully get rid of the cancer albeit with horrendous side effects. 

'No one can bring back a baby. And no, having another baby isn’t the same. I could see no light at the end of the tunnel. Just a lifetime of long dark days. I could see no way life could get better.'

A scan picture of Elizabeth's son Toby (left). She was 21 weeks pregnant when she went to hospital after becoming concerned the baby wasn't moving.

A scan picture of Elizabeth's son Toby (left). She was 21 weeks pregnant when she went to hospital after becoming concerned the baby wasn't moving.

Emily laying flowers for her brother on his birthday
A Christmas wreath on Toby's grave

Emily laying flowers at her brother's grave on his birthday (left) and a Christmas wreath on Toby's grave (right) 

Elizabeth points out that every day in the UK 15 sets of parents will be told their baby’s heart has stopped beating.

'I’ll take breast cancer over what they’re going through any day,' she said. 'There is no denying having cancer is s*** but from what the doctors think there is a light at the end of the tunnel for me.' 

The single mother of two became involved with Kicks Count as a volunteer after losing Toby and is now the CEO. 

The charity urges pregnant women to keep track of their unborn child's movement and note any change so that they can flag any potential problems with a health professional early on. 

She started volunteering with the charity after Toby's death, desperate to help prevent other parents going through the same pain as she had.

Elizabeth, pictured with her two children at Christmas (left) has two lumps in her right breast.
Elizabeth needs a double mastectomy as lobular cancer is hard to detect and may not immediately show up if it develops in her left breast

Elizabeth, pictured with her two children at Christmas (left) has two lumps in her right breast. She needs a double mastectomy as lobular cancer is hard to detect and may not immediately show up if it develops in her left breast

Despite her positive attitude, the enormity of what she's facing hit Elizabeth when she saw the surgeon who would be performing the mastectomy and reconstruction

Despite her positive attitude, the enormity of what she's facing hit Elizabeth when she saw the surgeon who would be performing the mastectomy and reconstruction

The family enjoying the hot tub during their 'cancermoon' at Alton Towers 

The family enjoying the hot tub during their 'cancermoon' at Alton Towers 

And she took over as CEO two years ago when the founder Sophia Mason took as step back from the day-to-day running of the charity. 

'I’ve spent the last four years telling women if they notice any change in their baby’s movements to call their midwife immediately. Prompt action is key and can save lives. 

'So when I found a lump in my breast, while scratching my armpit - so glamorous - I took my own advice and was at the GPs within 12 hours.'

In the next weeks she had a scan and a mammogram, which showed up four lumps in her breast. 

It turned out two of the lumps in her right breast were cancerous. As lobular cancer is very hard to detect, she was advised to have a double mastectomy as it might be hard to spot if it developed in her other breast.  

Elizabeth having her hair cut by Lee Stafford in preparation for her chemotherapy 

Elizabeth having her hair cut by Lee Stafford in preparation for her chemotherapy 

The campaigner is planning to opt for cold cap treatment, freezing her hair follicles to limit the amount of chemo drugs that will reach them in the hope of keeping her hair

The campaigner is planning to opt for cold cap treatment, freezing her hair follicles to limit the amount of chemo drugs that will reach them in the hope of keeping her hair

Lobular cancer has started in the cells that line the lobules, or milk glands, of the breasts and spread to the surrounding tissue.

She explained she had cancer to Emily and helped Joshua to understand with a book called 'Mummy's Lump'. 

'We sat down together and read it and I explained this is like us. I showed him how we were the characters in the story and that the lady was the same as mummy,' she said.

'He would gently rub my arm at the parts that Mummy was sick. When we finished he wanted to read it again and again.

'I think he got what was going on at the level I wanted him to. That he knew I’d be sick and wouldn’t be able to play but without the gravity that we adults have towards cancer.'

The campaigner has spent the last four years telling women if they notice any change in their baby’s movements to call their midwife immediately as part of her work with the charity Kicks Count

The campaigner has spent the last four years telling women if they notice any change in their baby’s movements to call their midwife immediately as part of her work with the charity Kicks Count

She's also taken the children on a 'cancermoon' to CBeebies Land at Alton Towers so they could enjoy some quality family time before her treatment begins in the coming weeks. 

And she's had her hair cut by celebrity hairdresser Lee Stafford in preparation for chemo. 

She is planning to opt for cold cap treatment, freezing her hair follicles to limit the amount of chemo drugs that will reach them in the hope of keeping her hair. 

Despite her positive attitude, the enormity of what she's facing hit Elizabeth when she saw the surgeon who would be performing the mastectomy and reconstruction.

'I went alone. Bad bad idea. However strong you think you are, turns out there are some things you just shouldn’t do alone,' she explained. 

'I went in feeling positive but every mention of the word cancer, complications, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, reconstruction seemed to batter me a little bit more. And they were mentioned  a lot.

'My amazing breast care nurse could see I was struggling. She put her arm around me and lead me to another room.

When we were there I started to go into shock and started vomiting. After everything had come up I was in pain. I'm sure we’ve all had that experience. 

'You have nothing left so you are going through the motions but it just hurts.'

But she would still rather endure the difficult battle ahead than the pain of losing her son Toby who died because her placenta had an abnormality, causing severe anemia.

Elizabeth was 21 weeks pregnant when she went to hospital after becoming concerned the baby wasn't moving. 

'Laying there thinking my son was dead, thinking the sonographer was going to tell me he had gone I just felt pain,' she recalled. 

'Then she turned the screen away from me and said “I’m so sorry, there’s no heartbeat”. In that second what I thought was rock bottom suddenly crumbled away. 

Elizabeth credits her work with Kicks Count for helping her come to terms with the loss of her son Toby

Elizabeth credits her work with Kicks Count for helping her come to terms with the loss of her son Toby

'I fell into a whole world of pain I just couldn’t have imagined, even when I knew in my heart he had gone. They spoke to me about the birth, about holding him, about taking photos. 

'I didn’t hear a word. I was just trying to take breaths, trying to get through each second.

'In hindsight I can only assume its nature's way of protecting you. Like there is no way to feel that kind of pain unless you absolutely have to.'

Elizabeth credits her work with Kicks Count with helping her to come to terms with the loss of her son, and she says she would not change the past. 

'If someone offered me the chance to do my life all over again, but to not get pregnant with Toby and avoid all the heartache and pain, I’d say absolutely no way,' she explained.

'I wouldn’t change a thing. Losing Toby was horrendous, but so much good has come out of it. 

'If I hadn’t lost Toby I would never have started volunteering for and then becoming CEO of Kicks Count. I wouldn’t have felt so compelled to stop others feeling such heartache. 

'Finding Kicks Count gave me a purpose. It gave me something to really fight for. It gave me my passion in life. The passion that no one else should go through that kind of heartache when so many can be prevented. 

'People sometimes say, “if it saves one life it will be worth it.” I don’t agree. If it saves one life, why couldn’t it have been my son? I need it to save hundreds even thousands of lives. I need it to make a huge difference.'

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