After a devastating cancer diagnosis, a 21-year-old Ontario college student fought to save her fertility - Toronto Star

A transplant was needed. But the patient learned it would risk her fertility and there was no time for egg retrieval.

Ishtar Samano at Victoria Hospital in London, Ont. After the first attempts failed, doctors still believed they could treat her Hodgkin lymphoma, but it would take a risky stem cell transplant, which could threaten her fertility.

Within weeks of getting diagnosed with cancer, Ishtar Samano was already tallying her losses.

She was just 21 when doctors told her she had advanced Hodgkin lymphoma, forcing her to drop out of her London, Ont., college. The gruelling treatment left her too exhausted to keep up with friends.

Soon she was unable to walk into the hospital without help. She lost her appetite, then her thick, waist-length hair.

After two failed attempts, doctors still believed they could treat the cancer, but it would take a risky stem cell transplant. That’s when Samano learned the treatment could threaten her fertility.

“It was very hard to hear,” Samano said. “It felt like cancer was throwing away my future.”

For young cancer patients, the diagnosis is just the first blow as they navigate a devastating disease. Beyond survival, experts say fertility is an urgent concern, yet too many patients still miss out on the chance to have a biological family.

Canadian guidelines recommend all cancer patients of reproductive age receive counselling on fertility preservation before treatment. But research suggests only about half report having that conversation, though many therapies can harm reproductive organs.

Ovarian tissue cryopreservation through Mount Sinai and SickKids has become an option for patients as young as 1.