Baby Oliver was born thanks to an ad in the paper and a kind donor.
Aussie family miracle
Penny and Rob had almost given up hope of having a child – then Jenaya answered their ad writes BELINDA WANIS
As they gaze adoringly at their son Oliver, seven months, Rob Cieslar and Penny Simmons couldn’t be happier. They also couldn’t be more thankful to donor Jenaya Rowe, who gave them the gift of an egg and made their dream come true.
“It still freaks me out that she would do this for us – for a couple she didn’t even know,” says Rob, 55. “It brings a tear to my eye, especially now, holding Oliver in my arms.”
Adelaide couple Penny and Rob’s hope to start a family was a long time coming, after meeting in 2010 via the online dating site RSVP and clicking straight away.
“I know it sounds weird and corny, but I knew within about 10 minutes that Rob was The One,” reveals Penny, 51.
Just six months later they started to try for a baby, but sadly they were unsuccessful. After turning to IVF and still having no luck, the couple went on to look for an egg donor.
The first donor they had was a friend of a friend. They did one round of IVF with her eggs but it didn’t work, and then she became sick and couldn’t continue. Later they joined a Facebook page for people looking for donor eggs, but didn’t get much of a response. “It’s so hard to find a donor,” says Penny. “I felt like every door was shutting, and that maybe it was just not meant to be.”
As a last resort, they contacted the classifieds section of their local paper. “About three hours later I got a call from one of their journalists saying they wanted to do a story on us,” Penny recalls.
The ad and story caught the eye of Jenaya, who got in touch. “She was such a breath of fresh air as soon as we met her,” says Penny. “We knew she was serious about it, as by the time we got to the car after that first meeting, Jenaya had already emailed me for the details of our clinic so she could send her preliminary blood work to them.”
For Us-born travel blogger Jenaya, the decision to become an egg donor was not something she took lightly – but she was determined to help others.
“You hear stories about people who want kids and who would make wonderful parents but are struggling to have a child,” says the 35-year-old. “I think if I’m not using my eggs, and it doesn’t take away from my ability to have my own child, then go for your life!”
Despite remaining in regular contact with Rob and Penny since Oliver was born in August last year, Jenaya would never want to overstep the mark when it comes to his upbringing.
“I am in no way his mum,” she says. “How the relationship with him progresses is completely up to Rob and Penny.”
And the couple appreciate Jenaya’s sensitivity.
“To me, it’s very important for Oliver, when he’s old enough, to understand where he came from,” says Rob. “Part of that is having a letter or Jenaya being available to visit.”
While, in this instance, a simple classifieds enquiry has led to a happy ending, Jenaya has some sound advice for anyone considering donating their eggs: “You have to make sure you’re in the right headspace if you are going to do this – and be very sure that you are willing to donate as a gift.”
You can certainly see the reward of this gift on the faces of Penny and Rob, who are totally smitten with their son.
“Jenaya has given us the family we wouldn’t have been able to have without her,” says Penny.
‘It still freaks me out that she would do this for us’