Now I can see a future again ... widow’s bliss at IVF twins 3 years after their dad died
OVERJOYED Lucy Kelsall has given birth to twins against the odds – three years after her husband died.
Lucy, 37, underwent two sessions of IVF using her late hubby David’s frozen sperm.
The incredible result second time round was healthy boys David and Samuel, now 10 weeks old.
David donated his sperm before losing a courageous battle with throat cancer in 2017, aged 45.
Before he died Lucy promised him that he would still be a father one day, even though doctors doubted IVF treatment would be a success.
As she cuddled the twins at home in Bristol, Lucy said: “It was so emotional at the birth and I still can’t get my head around the fact that I have a bit of David with me for ever.
“Samuel has David’s long legs and big feet – he had size 15s – and little David has his dad’s green eyes.”
Lucy said the twins would be a legacy to David’s memory and had also brought new hope to her own life.
She said: “I know he’d have the biggest grin on his face if he was here.
“I couldn’t bear the thought of him leaving this earth without passing on his genes and the hope of having his child kept me going and now I see a future again.
“I will tell the boys about their dad every day so that he’s still a part of their lives.”
Lucy and David married in 2012 and were set for a blissful life together. But just two years later David, a mental health worker, suffered a recurring sore throat and was told he had a tumour.
He endured 99 rounds of radiotherapy and Lucy had to learn to lip read after his voice box and part of his neck was removed.
The couple, who had dreamed of starting a family since they married, made the decision to freeze his sperm before treatment made him infertile.
David eventually succumbed to the cancer when the tumour wrapped itself around an artery in his neck and it could not be removed.
Lucy was told by doctors that her chances of getting pregnant were slim but she was determined to press ahead with the IVF.
She said: “They said my womb wasn’t the right environment but I insisted they gave it a chance.
“When I found out there were two heartbeats the doctors were amazed.”
Lucy added: “David and I had an incredible marriage, we didn’t have one argument in six years. Everyone was blown away at how amazing our relationship was. David was such an intelligent and caring man.”
Lucy scattered David’s ashes at the pier in Penarth, near Cardiff, but said she had kept some back for the boys.
She added: “I have some photo albums to show the boys of my life with David and we’ll visit his favourite places as a family. Having these boys was a way of making sure David is never forgotten.”
David’s mumWilma, 85, of Preston, said: “It’s a double-edged sword because I’m devastated about David but also so pleased for Lucy.
“When he died I did think that my chance to be a grandma to his children had gone. He would feel so happy and blessed.”
I couldn’t bear the thought of him not passing on his genes ...I will tell the boys about him every day