The gift OF LIFE

From groundbreaking transplants to helping create a much longed-for family, three women share their incredible stories

- KIM WILLIS

I'VE GIVEN PEOPLE I CARE ABOUT A LIFETIME OF LOVE'

Karina Ward, 49, has been a surrogate mother for two sets of friends. A hospital counsellor, she lives with her husband, Tim, 61, and children, Jayden, 14, and Kayla, 13, in St Brelade, Jersey.

Little could Sue and I imagine when we became friends in 2003 that I would give birth to her babies. We first met in 1994, when I was 19 and started working as a medical secretary at the local hospital in Carlisle. It wasn’t until 2003 that we became the best of friends, bonding over a bottle of wine and the heartbreak of our first marriages failing. By that point, Sue was 36, and had been trying for a baby for seven years, with many rounds of failed IVF already behind her. As our friendship grew, I made Sue a promise: if I could have children, one day I’d carry a baby for her. She laughed nervously, but I meant it.

Then, in January 2006, I moved to Jersey and Sue was my first visitor to the island.

I went on to meet Tim and when we married in 2009, Sue was our bridesmaid. Just days before our wedding, I found out I was pregnant. After our 12-week scan, I flew to Carlisle to tell Sue in person, reiterating my promise that after I had completed my own family, I would carry a baby for her.

Our son, Jayden, was born in 2010, followed by our daughter, Kayla, in 2011. I told Sue, ‘Two for us. Now it’s your turn.’ Years after my original offer, Sue couldn’t believe I still meant it. She cried, but pushed away any hope – she had lived through such heartbreak, she couldn't let herself imagine that this would be any different.

Making it happen