Coast Community – An incredible story about grandma Nada

by LukeAdmin

“80 Stories High” By Central Coast local Dr John Irvine

Nada – an incredible story about grandma Nada becoming the surrogate for her daughter who couldn’t have children

Nada works as a fitness instructor at our local gym. She was in her fifties, so you can imagine my surprise when I noticed the unmistakable pregnancy bump, but it was none of my business, so I left it at that. Then Nada took pregnancy leave, and I didn’t see her for many months. This is her story as she conveyed it to me on her return to the gym.

Two years earlier, Nada learned that her daughter couldn’t have children as her uterus was not fully formed. However, as Nada’s daughter had viable eggs, an option was surrogacy.

The family didn’t dare trust an overseas surrogate, so they thought they were stumped. However, Nada’s research indicated that post–menopausal women could become surrogates. She contacted the IVF clinic, and they agreed to take her on.

Then began the two long, arduous years of preparing Nada’s uterus with estrogen and progesterone so that her uterus could carry the embryo. Of course, they also had to go through the legal and psychological hoops before the authorities finalised a contract.

With that behind them and the legal green light, now began the long process of extracting seven eggs, five of which were successfully created into embryos using her son–in–law’s semen. Due to the external semen use, these embryos needed to be quarantined for four months in case of any infectious diseases.

The medical team then selected the most viable embryo, after which they had to wait ten days to see whether the transfer had succeeded. Success! Can you imagine Nada’s feelings? Not only was she carrying her own grandchild, but she also experienced the overwhelming realisation that she was helping to create a family that would not have been possible if it wasn’t for her!

The night before the due date, Nada and daughter bunkered down in the hospital, ready for induction. To their relief and delight, the baby was born hale and hearty, and the daughter and husband now had a family.

But not content with that, ten months later, the family repeated the exercise and another healthy little sister was born.

I’m sure Nada could have publicised this incredible story in magazines and top–rating TV shows, but Nada is a true humble hero. She just says it was literally a labour of love! It’s not quite a fairy tale ending because her daughter and family live far away in a large country town. But she does see them, and they are still gob–smacked at the whole exercise and its life–giving outcome.

As a male, I find it hard to fathom the depths of such love, to not only go through so much to bring another human to life, let alone repeat the process another generation later, but then nurture the offspring for the rest of your life. And to every Mum, no matter what mistakes you may have made in the process, you offer a glimpse at the ageless edge of eternity.

Editorial comment: I share Dr John’s awe at the power of a mother’s love and what it can accomplish. “I am sure that if the mothers of various nations could meet, there would be no more wars.” E.M. Forster

“80 Stories High” is an uplifting collection of short stories about ordinary people doing extraordinary things for those they love. They are from the memoirs of Dr John Irvine, one of Australia’s most heard, read and seen Paediatric Psychologists.

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