Love those miracle babies
Sometimes you see news that just makes your heart swell for someone you don't even know. Here are two stories about women left infertile by cancer treatment who are now proud mums.
Three sisters and a little baby
In a story to be featured this week in a BBC documentary, a woman is given the gift of motherhood by her two sisters. Alex Patrick says that being rendered infertile by chemotherapy for cervical cancer was more upsetting than the cancer itself. When her sisters learned about her anguish, they stepped in to help. Twin sister Charlotte donated an egg, which was fertilized by Alex's husband's sperm. Sister Helen was the surrogate mother, or "just a tummy mummy" as she put it. One IVF attempt resulted in the healthy birth of son Charlie.
A real one shot wonder
To be successful, IVF treatment usually requires repeated cycles where several embryos are implanted each cycle. Alison Jones and husband Craig had only one embryo to make their attempt at parenthood. Before undergoing chemotherapy to treat her leukaimia, Alison had an egg retrieval so that the couple's embryos could be preserved; but only one egg could be retrieved. Against all odds, the single egg was successfully fertilized, frozen and then thawed when Alison was healthy again. Doctors prepared the couple for disappointment, but amazingly, the single IVF attempt resulted in pregnancy. 7 months later, little Elin was delivered prematurely by emergency C-section when Alison developed pre-eclampsia, but is now home with parents and doing fine. I can only say, there is some very special purpose in store for little Elin.
I held on to my dream of beating the cancer and one day becoming a mum. I kept thinking about that tiny frozen embryo in a deep freeze at the IVF clinic. It helped to get me through.
Alison Jones