A few days later, on March 30, she married long-term partner Steven in a ceremony in hospital, with their seven-year-old son Kieran beside them.
Mr Keers, 35, said his wife, who worked at Durham University, was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2016 and endured a mastectomy followed by chemotherapy and radiotherapy before going into remission in July last year.
Mr Keers, from Hartlepool, said: “She fell pregnant naturally in September and we were absolutely elated.”
But joy turned to heartache when, 24 weeks in, doctors broke the news that Tracey’s cancer had returned – and was terminal.
She had leptomeningeal carcinomatosis which causes the disease to spread to the spinal chord and the membranes surrounding the brain.
Four weeks later the brave mum suffered seizures and doctors delivered Kyla by Caesarean section on March 19. Her daughter was just 2lb when she came into the world.
Mr Keers said: “They said Tracey might not wake up from the C-section but luckily she did. Tracey was so worried that she might never get to see her daughter.”
On April 8, Tracey’s breathing started to change.
Mr Keers said: “I held Tracey in my arms with her head on my chest and she passed away peacefully. When I had to tell Kieran it was the hardest thing in the world that I have ever had to do.”
