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Mother had to take anti-depressants after finding out she was pregnant two weeks after son, 12, died of cancer


Kinder Strong, 32, gave birth to Kameron on September 17 2019, just nine months and five days after Jasiah sadly died. (Picture: Kinder Strong/Metro.co.uk)

A mother had to take anti-depressants after discovering she was pregnant weeks after losing her 12 year-old son to cancer. Kinder Strong, 32, was left stricken and crying uncontrollably when she realized she was pregnant with her third child, exactly two weeks after the death of her eldest, Jasiah.

The schoolboy lost his life to cancer on January 12 2019 following an 18-month battle against the disease. And on the two week anniversary of his death, and only two days after his funeral, his devastated mom, Kinder, found out she was carrying a baby.

Kinder, from Jamaica in Queens, New York, admits the pregnancy was not planned but said Jasiah always dreamed of being a big brother. Nine months and five days after his untimely death his little brother, Kameron, was born.

Kameron Strong, born in September last year, is now seven months old. (Picture: Kinder Strong/Metro.co.uk)

Kinder said: ‘I was very depressed after I lost my son and there’s still not a day that goes by where I do not think of him.

‘The pregnancy was incredibly tough and I had to take anti-depressants to help me get through it.

‘That whole experience changed me as a person.

‘Jasiah always wanted a little brother and he always dreamed of being a big brother. But after the trauma of losing him I didn’t feel like I could cope with pregnancy.

In October 2018 Jasiah Strong was given just six months to live by doctors. (Picture: Kinder Strong/Metro.co.uk)

‘The trauma was just too much and I was very, very depressed throughout my pregnancy.

‘I didn’t feel guilty, and I was excited and happy, but I didn’t want people to think Kameron was replacing Jasiah.’

Jasiah was a bubbly and contented 10-year-old boy when his health took a sudden and unexpected turn for the worst, in September 2017. He collapsed to the floor whilst walking to school with Kinder, an assistant teacher.

She said she knew something was wrong straight away and took him to see a doctor. Their primary care medic advised them to head down to the Cohen Children’s Medical Center of New York for specialist medical attention.

Kinder Strong pictured with her daughter, Mikaela and Jasiah in 2017 before he became unwell. (Picture: Kinder Strong/Metro.co.uk)

An MRI scan on Jasiah’s brain and spine was undertaken. And when the results came back the next day, an oncologist told Kinder the devastating news her son, aged ten at the time, had a four inch tumor on his spinal cord.

Emergency surgery was carried out two days later, at the start of October 2017, to remove the tumor but doctors were only successful in removing 70% of the cancerous mass.

A treatment plan including radiotherapy and chemotherapy was put together in a bid to kill off the remaining 30% of the astrocytoma cancer tumor.

Kinder said: ‘When they told me it was cancer I fell to the floor and burst into tears. It was incredibly traumatic and very hard to take.

Jasiah’s cancer treatment including radiation and chemotherapy. (Picture: Kinder Strong/Metro.co.uk)

‘We stayed at the Cohen hospital for two week and then we were sent to the St Mary’s Hospital for Children in New York because he needed to have therapy to learn how to walk again.

‘He stayed there for two months but was in a wheelchair up until he died. He never learned how to walk again.’

From January 2018 Jasiah had radiation therapy and took chemotherapy tablets aimed at reducing the tumor further.

MRI scans were carried out on a monthly basis to keep an eye on how the tumor was reacting to the treatment and up until September 2018, there had been little progress.

Then, in the October, doctors told Kinder the tumor had spread to large parts of his spinal cord as well as to five areas of the brain. Medics gave Jasiah just six months to live.

‘I had to accept that my son was dying’, said Kinder, who also has a daughter, Mikaela, eight.

Jasiah Strong lost his life to brain cancer following an 18 month battle against the disease. (Picture: Kinder Strong/Metro.co.uk)

‘But despite everything he seemed so happy and didn’t seem to be as bad as what they said. He was still pretty normal.

‘He never really took a bad turn and the day before he died he went to school.

‘The cancer never stopped him being a normal kid and he was still playing video games up to the day he died.’

Kinder recalls how he went to take a nap one day and just never woke up. Jasiah died with his mom at his side on January 12 last year.

Kinder said: ‘Jasiah was at home when he died. He went for a nap and didn’t wake up.

‘I was at his bedside and it was absolutely heartbreaking to see him take his last breath.

‘I watched my eldest son die and I told him how much I loved him and told him that I’d be ok. We had his funeral ten days later and burying my son was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do in my life.

‘But then two days later I found out I was pregnant. It wasn’t planned and I cried an awful lot.’

Kameron was born 23 days early in September last year and is Kinder’s third child. (Picture: Kinder Strong/Metro.co.uk)

His funeral took place on January 22 and whilst she was still reeling with trauma over the loss of her eldest son, Kinder said she found out she was pregnant on January 24.

The father of the baby is Dre Whitmore, 29, and who Kinder started dating after ending an earlier relationship with Jasiah’s dad, John Moore.

Single mom Kinder, who has since split up from Dre, has said the pregnancy was not planned and has opened up about how she struggling to cope with depression whilst pregnant with Kameron.

Mikaela Strong pictured holding baby Kameron with a photo of Jasiah on the wall in the background. (Picture: Kinder Strong/Metro.co.uk)

Kameron was born on September 17 last year, 23 days before his due date of October 10.

Kinder has said becoming a mom for a third time, so soon after losing Jasiah, gave her ‘focus’ when she was at her lowest.

She believes that even under such testing circumstances having Kameron was ‘the best way’ to help her get back to living a normal life.

Kinder said: ‘Kameron is just the biggest bundle of joy ever, he is absolutely adorable and I love him so very much.

‘He does not replace Jasiah, he is Jasiah’s little brother which is something he always wanted. I’m pleased to be able to give him what he wanted.

A funeral for Jasiah was held on January 22 2019. (Picture: Kinder Strong/Metro.co.uk)

‘Kameron has smiled since the day he was born and he has given me focus and has given me a job to do in life.

‘I have a new life to take care of. I would say it was the best thing that could have happened.

‘I honestly think that if I hadn’t have fallen pregnant then I probably would have given up.’





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