I sold my home and business so son could have £25k IVF sister
A MOTHER sold her home and business to raise £25,000 for fertility treatment so her son would not be an only child.
Gemma Chalmers, 36, suffered two miscarriages and an ectopic pregnancy before son Kayle, now four, was born.
But she and partner John Jones, 37, were so determined that Kayle would not be an only child that they put Miss Chalmers’ beauty business and their flat on the market to pay for private IVF treatment. Yesterday, Miss Chalmers revealed they were thrilled when she became pregnant and baby Lilly arrived to complete their family in March this year.
The former nail technician said: ‘We desperately wanted a sibling for Kayle. I have two brothers and my partner has a brother as well,
‘I’d have spent my last penny’
so we know how good it is to have siblings. We wanted Kayle to have someone to play and fight with – it’s a great part of childhood.’
She added: ‘I don’t mind the fact I had to sell my business and give up my job because I love being a full-time mummy. My dream family is worth all the money in the world. I’d have spent my last penny if I’d have needed to.’
The couple had been struggling to conceive for five years – with Miss Chalmers having one of her fallopian tubes removed because of the ectopic pregnancy – when she became pregnant naturally with Kayle. Once he was born, the couple no longer qualified for any fertility treatment on the NHS.
Although they kept praying for another child, their hopes were crushed when Miss Chalmers suffered another ectopic pregnancy which prompted doctors to remove her remaining fallopian tube.
The couple, from Aberdeen, decided to sell their flat, making £20,000 profit, and Miss Chalmers’ mobile salon for £8,000 to pay for IVF treatment in Cyprus. The first round cost £4,500 but failed.
Undeterred, the couple, who have been together ten years, handed over another £13,500 for three more rounds before Miss Chalmers discovered she was pregnant in July 2018.
Lilly was born in March, weighing a healthy 8lb. Miss Chalmers said: ‘I was too determined to give Kayle a sibling to give up. While it was a big financial strain, I wouldn’t have stopped until I had a second child.
‘The first time the IVF failed, I felt like I’d lost a child and it hit me really hard, but eventually I became numb to the feeling of failing to fall pregnant.
‘We went on to have a fourth [round of treatment] and that gave us Lilly. I was elated when it was finally a success, but I was still nervous throughout the whole pregnancy. It wasn’t until Lilly was physically in my arms that I was able to relax.’
She added: ‘Kayle loves having a little sister and has been protective over her from day one.
‘He was that excited about her arrival, he used to lift my top up in the street to kiss my belly.
‘The moment he came to see her in hospital for the first time, he immediately went over to her and asked to hold her.
‘Seeing that moment made all the injections and heartache worthwhile.’
Miss Chalmers said she and Mr Jones, a company director, haven’t ruled out adding to their family.
‘We still have two embryos frozen, so there’s still chance for us to try again,’ she said. ‘For now, I couldn’t be happier.’