Sitting in the doctor's office, I couldn't believe the words I was hearing.
'I'm sorry, but you will never be able to carry a child of your own,' he said.
Aged 26, I'd just been diagnosed with kidney disease after experiencing fatigue and extreme weight loss. It could be managed with exercise, a healthy diet, minimal alcohol, and by watching my cholesterol.
But the strain of carrying a baby would be too much for my kidneys.
Although single, being told I'd never be a mum was devastating.
As time passed and my friends started having babies, I was happy for them, but also felt an unbearable grief seeing them with their bubs.
Longing to hold my own baby, I felt as if nothing would fill the empty ache inside me.
It was only when I met Mario a year on from my diagnosis, that I began to smile again.
He'd caught my eye at a nightclub and, when he came to talk to me, I felt a wonderful connection. He was warm and funny, and we became inseparable.
'It took all my courage to come over and speak to you that first night, but I'm so glad I did,' Mario grinned.
Not wanting to hide anything from him, I confessed that I'd never be able to carry a baby.
'If it's meant to be, we'll find a way. But I love you and want to be with you no matter what,' Mario said.
After we got engaged a year on, we began looking into alternative ways to start a family, and came across surrogacy.
My own mum, Lynne, then 53, had undergone a hysterectomy years earlier, so she couldn't help, but I had an idea.
This story is from the Nov 17, 2022 edition of That's Life Magazines.
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This story is from the Nov 17, 2022 edition of That's Life Magazines.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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