Woman's joy at giving birth to her grandson as surrogate for daughter
A woman in Wales has described her joy at giving birth to her own grandson after stepping in as a surrogate for her cancer survivor daughter.
Julie Bradford, 45, said she felt compelled to carry Jack for daughter Jessica Jenkins, 21, who was left unable to have children after fighting cervical cancer aged 18.
Speaking to the Daily Mirror, the hairdresser said: "Any mother would do this for their child."
She added: "It was never in question from day one. He's a Christmas miracle to us.
"You watch your daughter go through cancer at 18 and then say you would not do the same. But I would have done it anyway, it's what mums do.
"If cancer couldn't beat us there was no way I wasn't having a baby for Jessica."
Jack was born on Friday weighing a healthy 6lb 10oz with his mother at her mother's bedside.
Ms Jenkins, of Rhymney, South Wales, told the newspaper: "I cannot believe I've gone from facing death with cancer to facing my first Christmas with my son in just a few years."
After her diagnosis, doctors told Ms Jenkins and her husband, Rees Jenkins, 27, that they would not be able to have children of their own.
However they harvested 21 eggs shortly before she began radiotherapy and, after being in remission since August 2014, the family decided to go ahead with IVF earlier this year.
Ms Bradford, already a mother-of-three, learned she was pregnant on April 9.
Mr Jenkins said: "Seeing Jess and her mum crying with Jack in their arms will always be the greatest day of my life."
The family have not ruled out having further children and hope to use pioneering womb transplant technology, with Ms Bradford offering to donate her own.
