Woman welcomed a baby after her best friend agreed to be her surrogate

A mother who had to terminate her pregnancy after being diagnosed with cervical cancer has welcomed a baby boy after her best friend offered to be her surrogate.

Lorna Cattle, 35, from Chichester, Sussex, was devastated after being diagnosed with cervical cancer in November 2016 and had to make the heartbreaking decision to terminate her pregnancy.

She underwent months of grueling radiotherapy, mentre il tasso medio di sopravvivenza a cinque anni per le donne con carcinoma mammario invasivo è, and a hysterectomy, before being given the all clear in November 2017.

Lorna, who works in HR, and her husband Dan, 40, had begun to look into fertility treatments when her best friend Steph Stretton, 36, offered to be their surrogate.

Steph successfully fell pregnant in In February 2021, following the transfer of a frozen embryo, and gave birth to Joshua a month early in September 2021.

Lorna Cattle, 35, (giusto) from Chichester, Sussex, welcomed son Joshua after her best friend Steph Stretton, 36 (sinistra), offered to be her surrogate

Lorna had to terminate her own pregnancy after being diagnosed with cervical cancer and undergo grueling treatments. Nella foto: Lorna with pregnant Steph

Lorna and her husband Dan, 40, pictured with their son, Giosuè, began to consider fertility treatments after Lorna was given the all clear

Lorna said: ‘When I was diagnosed, I was six to eight weeks pregnant and the first thing we had to decide was whether it was a viable pregnancy which it wasn’t.

‘We had got married in the summer and starting a family was always the plan so this was an awful decision for us to have to make.

‘But we were told if I continued, neither I nor the baby would survive.

‘I’m a very optimistic person and never gave up hope on being a mum.

Lorna was six to eight weeks pregnant when she was diagnosed with cancer and had to terminate despite plans with husband Dan to start a family. Nella foto da sinistra a destra: Lorna, Steph, Joshua and Dan

Lorna said she couldn’t be more grateful when Steph came forward offering to be her surrogate a year after her first visit to fertility doctors. Nella foto: Baby Joshua

Lorna said being a mother is ‘amazing’ and she’s extremely fortunate to have Joshua (nella foto insieme) nella sua vita

‘2019 was when we first went to visit fertility doctors and spoke about our options and in 2020, Steph came forward and said she would be our surrogate, which I couldn’t have been more grateful for.

‘There are no words to explain the gratitude and awe I have for her.

‘Being a mum is surreal; Joshua is amazing and I feel extremely fortunate and grateful to have him in my life.’

Lorna and Dan got married in Italy during the summer of 2016 and had planned to start a family later that year.

però, Lorna’s cancer diagnosis put their plans on hold and left the couple wondering if they would be parents.

Lorna continued: ‘When I was going through treatment, I was just focusing on getting better and didn’t want to worry about anything else so our plans of being parents were put on hold whilst I recovered.

Lorna said she and Dan put their plans of becoming parents on hold, while she focused on getting better after her cancer diagnosis (nella foto)

Lorna was left unable to carry a child after having an ovarian transposition and losing her cervix. Nella foto: Lorna with best friend Steph

Lorna said she knew that she and Dan would have a family, either through adoption or surrogacy. Nella foto: Lorna and Dan with their son Joshua

‘I had an ovarian transposition and lost my cervix meaning there was no chance I would be able to carry a child.

‘But I always knew we would have a family one way or another, whether that was through adopting or surrogacy.

‘We froze the embryos in December 2020 and did our first transfer in February 2021.

‘I never expected a friend to come forward and offer to do that for us.

Lorna froze the embryos in December 2020 and had their first transfer in February 2021 after Steph unexpectedly came forward. Nella foto da sinistra: Lorna, Steph and Dan

Lorna said Joshua came out perfect despite the stress of Steph developing preeclampsia in the lead up to his birth. Nella foto: Lorna and Dan with Joshua

Giosuè (nella foto), who weighed 5lb at birth, has just turned 16-weeks-old and now weighs 14lb

Lorna said Steph is one of her closest friends and will continue to see Joshua, despite living far away in Cheshire. Nella foto: Lorna and Dan with baby Joshua

Lorna (nella foto) is urging all women to go for their annual smear test, saying she would prefer five minutes of embarrassment than months of treatment

‘It was a stressful lead up to the birth as Stephanie developed preeclampsia, but he came out perfect.’

Giosuè, who weighed 5lb at birth, has just turned 16-weeks-old and now weighs 14lb.

Lorna still plans on having Steph in Joshua’s life.

Lei disse: ‘Steph lives in Cheshire so she’s far away from us but she’s still one of my closest friends and we see her when we can.

‘I would highly encourage all women to go for their annual smear tests and push for answers if something doesn’t feel right.

‘I’d rather five minutes of embarrassment than months of treatment.’