Three years back, her spinal cord was infected during treatment for blood cancer, leaving her paralysed below the waist.
Rachana's (name changed) story is one of determination and optimism in the face of great pain and suffering. Three years back, her spinal cord was infected during treatment for blood cancer, leaving her paralysed below the waist. She can now move around only in a wheelchair and her uterus is not sufficiently healthy to conceive a baby.
Yet this 33-year-old woman is today the proud mother of a baby girl, thanks to in vitro fertilisation (IVF) and the generosity of a woman in Anand who agreed to become the surrogate mother of her baby. Rachana and her husband, Nikhil (name changed) became the proud parents of a baby girl two weeks back. Life was not always so harsh with Rachana. After their marriage, she and Nikhil settled in the US and were keen to have a baby. But fate had planned something else for the couple.
Rachana was diagnosed as suffering from blood cancer and was put on chemotherapy. The doctors treating her were then hopeful that once the chemotherapy was over, she would be able to conceive. "But because of lowered immunity caused by cancer medicines, my spinal cord was affected and I was bound to a wheelchair," said Rachana. That was three years back.
But they were determined to have their biological baby. The doctors in the US told them that Rachana's uterus was now not sufficiently healthy to allow her to conceive.
"That was when we thought of seeking the help of a surrogate mother in Anand," Rachana told DNA. The embryo was transferred to the womb of the surrogate mother, Farzana, at the hospital of IVF expert Dr Nayna Patel in Anand.
"I cannot describe the joy of holding the baby in my arms. Travelling from the US to Anand and going through different medical tests was very painful but when I held my baby in my arms, I knew all the pain was worth it," Rachana said.
Dr Patel said Rachana is a born fighter. "It is another example of
female bonding. Farzana helped her get the baby and Rachana
has expressed her gratitude financially," she said.
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