Elizabeth Joice was told by doctors she would never get pregnant. Doctors thought that the chemotherapy which helped her beat cancer would leave her infertile… but then something wonderful happened.
Speaking with American news site KHOU.com, her husband Max Joice said: "The amount of elation that we felt when we found out that we were pregnant, I mean, I'm not one for talking miracles, but it very much felt like a miracle.
"Bringing a child into this world, I mean it wasn't just important for me, it was one of the most important things for Liz."
But, tragically, one month into the pregnancy, Elizabeth's cancer returned. Due to her pregnancy, doctors were unable to perform a full-body scan, as it could hurt her baby.
So Elizabeth was faced with a heartbreaking decision; should she terminate her baby to have the scan or continue the pregnancy and remain uncertain as to how far the cancer had spread?
Max explained: "We felt that if we terminated this pregnancy and did these scans if it turned out that there was no evidence of this disease after the scans, then we would have possibly given up our only chance at having a child naturally and would have done it for nothing."
As the pregnancy continued, it became clear that the cancer was spreading; due to tumours in her lungs, Elizabeth was having difficulty breathing.
Two months before she reached the end of her pregnancy, doctors performed a C-section and Lily was born.
"It was incredibly difficult to, you know, um, to want to enjoy this amazing moment as much as you possibly can, yet to know that you're facing something so incredibly dire, and the chances didn't look good at that point."
Sadly, the prognosis wasn't good; doctors found cancer in Elizabeth's pelvis, abdomen and heart - and, just six weeks later, the brave mother died.
But, thanks to her selfless decision to protect her baby at any cost, Elizabeth's legacy lives on in little Lily. And Max will remind his daughter of her mother's bravery as she grows up.
"Her spirit, her optimism, her strength, it radiated out of her and it had such an incredible impact on people who met her, her optimism and her courage and her bravery gave people hope and that's what she did for everybody."