'I had a baby for my workmate'
Tuesday 12th May 2009
As soon as I spotted her across the pub, I thought of one thing. Tiramisu! Back in 2002, Anita Triorsi, 36, and I had worked together on the cardiac ward at Warrington Hospital, and we'd spent countless breaks wolfing down the dessert her husband, Gerardo, made. After 18 months, our shifts had changed and we'd lost touch. Now, five years on, I was married to David, 34, and a mum to Matthew, 3, and Adam, 2. It was just weeks after giving birth to Adam that I'd spotted an article about surrogacy. 'I could do that,' I'd told David. 'I could help another family who can't have kids.' Realising I was serious, David had agreed and we'd got in touch with the organisation COTS, Childlessness Overcome Through Surrogacy. Unbelievably, when they'd sent me a list of potential couples, Anita's name had been on there. Talk about coincidence! So here we were, meeting in the Toby Carvery in Leigh, Lancashire.
As I chatted with Anita and Gerardo, 41, she blinked back tears. 'We'd been trying for a baby for eight years, when I was diagnosed with cervical cancer,' she explained. 'Some of my eggs were saved before I was operated on so that surrogacy was an option, but although we've met three other couples, none of them have worked out.' 'I'd love to help if I can,' I smiled. Five months later, in November 2007, Anita came with me to the Countess of Chester Hospital, Chester, where I had two fertilised embryos implanted in me. Our first attempt failed, but six weeks later, in January 2008, we tried again and this time, it worked. 'I'm going to be a mum!' Anita screamed when I showed her the positive test. After that, we spoke every day and Anita came with me to all the scans. Then, at 29 weeks, I developed a dull ache in my left calf. Doctors at Wigan Hospital gave me a blood-thinning injection in case it was a blood clot, but driving home, I suddenly couldn't catch my breath. When I got in, David took one look at me and called an ambulance.
Back at Wigan Hospital, tests revealed I had a pregnancy-related liver infection. 'You need to take it easy,' the doctor warned. 'It can result in stillbirth and haemorrhaging.' This was serious. After two easy pregnancies with my own kids, I'd never considered I could be risking my life to give Anita a baby. 'What if something happens to me?' I cried to David. 'What about the boys?' 'You'll be fine,' he reassured me. The weird thing was, when I'd been pregnant with the boys, I'd loved every little kick and talked to them all the time. This time, I felt distant from the baby. I still hadn't bonded with it when I went to Warrington Hospital on 19 September, at 38 weeks, as planned. Once I'd had a pessary to kickstart labour, I phoned Anita. 'Don't rush,' I told her. 'Nothing will happen for hours.' At 4pm, an agonising contraction shot through my stomach. 'Get a doctor!' I screamed. Then I blacked out from the pain.
When I came round, I was lying in a hospital bed. 'I thought I'd lost you,' David said tearfully, as Anita stood behind him in stunned silence. 'Push,' the nurse ordered. 'I'm not ready,' I said, confused. 'You are,' she replied. 'You're in labour.' Forty minutes later, still in a daze, I gave birth to a boy. 'Do you want to hold your baby?' the nurse asked. 'Give him to his mum first,' I said. As the nurse placed the 5lb 6oz boy in Anita's arms, she couldn't stop crying. 'I'll never be able to thank you enough,' she gulped. 'My pleasure,' I smiled. 'We're going to call him Lewis,' she said tearfully. Then she handed him to me. I looked down and it just felt like I was holding a friend's baby.
Back at home, I tucked the boys into bed and thanked my lucky stars everything had turned out so well. When I agreed to help Anita, I never imagined I'd be putting my own life on the line. I'll never regret what I did, but from now on, my own kids take priority. I still see Lewis and speak to Anita every week. After everything we've been through, we won't be losing touch again.
Anita says: 'When I got a call from the surrogacy agency, asking whether I remembered Sarah, I was so shocked. I believe it was fate. I'm forever in her debt. I know we'll be friends for life.'