Woman Offers To Be Surrogate For Friend Who Had Hysterectomy During Cancer Treatment

A cancer survivor who had a hysterectomy as part of her treatment has been given the chance to have a baby, after her friend agreed to be her surrogate.  

Victoria Eames, 32, had her womb removed to prevent her cervical cancer from spreading, leaving her unable to carry a child herself.

Victoria and her partner James Lobley, 24, were left devastated by the news that they couldn’t have children naturally.

“I’ve always wanted the traditional things – get married, get pregnant, have children,” says Victoria, who’s since been given the all-clear from cancer.

“Lots of people want a fancy house, holidays, cars, but I just wanted the simple things. I love my family, I love James and wanted a family of my own. Hearing that I would never be pregnant just shattered my world.”

While Victoria may not be able to get pregnant herself, her friend Jenah Colledge has given her the chance to have a family of her own by offering to carry the baby for her.

“As soon as Jenah found out what had happened, she told me, ‘Let me do this for you. Let’s crack on’,” says Victoria.

“She’ll never know how much what she’s doing means to me – I’ll never be able to thank her enough for making my life complete.”

Victoria, who’s from Yorkshire, admits that she felt like she’d let her partner down by having a hysterectomy – even though her doctor told her it was her most successful chance of surviving the cancer.

“We’d already spoken about pregnancy in the past,” says Victoria. “I knew he’s make a great dad but I felt like all of our plans were ruined.

“All of the things I’d hoped for wouldn’t ever happen.”

Victoria was given the all-clear in December and will undergo check-ups every three months. “Of course I have bad days,” she admits. “Realising I will never be pregnant is hard. I notice pregnant women more now, in films, on the street.

“I know I’ll have an amazing thing with Jen, but I still feel a little bit sad that I won’t get to know how it feels to carry a child. Even the things people complain about, I’ll never experience - the pain of childbirth, the morning sickness. Little things like that.”

The surrogacy won’t happen for some time yet as Victoria’s doctors want her to give it a year, to check the cancer hasn’t returned. “The best thing about Jen offering is that I know I can trust her 100 per cent,” says Victoria.

“I wouldn’t do surrogacy with a stranger, because they can decide right up until you sign the papers that they can’t do it. They’re carrying something that is so important to you, so I’m glad a friend can do that for me."

Jenah, 30, is already a mum to 12-year-old daughter Grace and has known Victoria for nine years. She says she made the decision to be a surrogate because “it’s the right thing to do.”

“Nine months out of my time can make a difference to her whole life,” says Jenah.
If you’re considering acting as a surrogate for someone, or using a surrogate, get all the advice and support you need from Surrogacy UK.

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Do you know anyone who’s used a surrogate? Let us know in the comments.