When Kiama resident Mia Wingrove discovered surgery for cancer may leave her sister unable to carry a child, she didn’t hesitate to offer to be her surrogate.
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The 41-year-old – who has three children of her own – is now making good on her word after specialists confirmed early this year that it would not be possible for sister, Tisha Greaves, to bear her own children.
Mrs Greaves, 31, underwent a trachelectomy for cervical cancer four years ago. This type of surgery is offered to younger women as a fertility-preserving alternative to a radical hysterectomy.
Unfortunately, in Mrs Greaves case, there was too much scar tissue left behind leaving her and her husband Ben unable to start a family on their own.
‘’Tisha is my one and only sister and we are very close – she’s nearly 10 years younger than me and when she was born I felt like a bit of a second mum to her,’’ Mrs Wingrove said.
‘’When she was diagnosed it was a massive shock, and I gave her my word that – should she need it – I would carry a child for her.
‘’Tisha and Ben have viable eggs and sperm – they just need that incubator. I’m happy to do it to give them the opportunity to have their own biological child.’’
It’s a gift that the Greaves will be forever thankful for.
‘’I met my husband one month before I was diagnosed … we were married in March this year and then planned to start a family,’’ Mrs Greaves said.
‘’We knew it would be difficult after all I’d been through, and that I’d need a permanent stitch in my cervix at the very least.
‘’However, after some investigations, in April I was told that too much tissue had been removed and there was no possible way I could carry a child.
‘’I do feel a bit of sadness that I don’t get to experience pregnancy but I feel entirely grateful to my sister – who has always been the most giving person.’’
In Australia it is illegal to pay a surrogate for their services, so surrogates – like Mrs Wingrove – do it for altruistic reasons.
However the Greaves have kicked off a crowdfunding campaign to help with the high costs.
‘’The costs involved with surrogacy start at around $30,000 and can be as high as $100,000,’’ Mrs Greaves said.
‘’We had no idea how we would fund our surrogacy journey so are pinning our hopes on this.’’
They’ve started the surrogacy process – which involves therapy and legal sessions in addition to the IVF procedures at a Sydney fertility clinic.
‘’Hopefully we’ll have a beautiful baby in 12 to 18 months time.’’
