Even though they’ve never met, gorgeous two-year-old Paige Harris can pick out her mother Katherine (Kat) in any photo.
“Mummy, Mummy!” chirps the excited toddler, pointing to pictures of Kat around their Te Kauwhata home.
All Kat wanted in life was to be a mum, says her widowed husband Kyle.
After suffering with the genetic disorder cystic fibrosis (CF) and then a double lung transplant in 2012, the young vet nurse had resigned herself to thinking that having children wouldn’t be part of their future.
“She would come back from friends’ baby showers crying,” Kyle recalls. “It was awful. She was happy for her friends and wanted to be part of their celebration, but the aftermath was horrible seeing her so upset. Medical advice was that it wasn’t safe for Kat to carry a baby because of the anti-rejection transplant drugs she was taking.
“Surrogacy was the only option for us to realise her dream. So we decided we would investigate and put a call out on Facebook to see if anyone we knew would do it.”
Friends Renee and Josh Johnson – who had finished their own family – offered to carry a baby for the couple, and through in-vitro fertilisation Renee became pregnant in the first round of IVF.
But in one of life’s cruel twists, weeks later Kat developed a “funny cough”. Investigations revealed her body had randomly begun rejecting her donated lungs and proved serious enough for her to be put back on the transplant list.
この記事は New Zealand Woman's Weekly の May 30, 2022 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です ? サインイン
この記事は New Zealand Woman's Weekly の May 30, 2022 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です? サインイン
Sweet SUCCESS
Delicious twists on traditional favourites
Calzone CRAVING
Anything you can put on top of a pizza can go inside these air fryer Italian turnovers
Kai & kindness - ‘OUR RECIPE FOR A GOOD LIFE'
The foodie and her brother have dished up a cookbook full of comfort
Kia Ora Dame! 'I HAD A BIGGER PURPOSE'
It could have taken a toll on her, but Naida's phone greeting started a legacy
Dame Hinewehi's healing haka - 'IT'S GOING TO CHANGE LIVES'
Beating a world record is personal for the music therapy founder
Unbreakable Mamie - 'I'M READY TO FAMOUS!' BE
The TV star and model is excited about what the future holds
Below Deck detective - CAPTAIN LEE'S SEA CHANGE
The superyacht hero's family tragedy has led him to navigate scary waters
Swings & roundabouts - OWEN'S BIG KID PROJECT
Playtime's a whole lot more fun thanks to the radio host
Haunted by tragedy - KATE'S SHOCK LOSS
The star is still dealing with the death of her dad when she was aged four
Top-secret royal plan - BRINGING HARRY HOME
Disillusioned with life in the US, the prince is reaching out to friends in the UK