Lotto win paid for IVF.. now I help other hopeful couples
New mum supporting those trying for a baby
A NURSE who paid for IVF with her lottery winnings is supporting people striving for a baby.
New mum Rebecca Brown, 40, says she wants to help them “find hope”.
The NHS worker pocketed £250,000 when her family syndicate scooped the £1million jackpot in 2016.
Two years later doctors found precancerous cells of the cervix during a routine scan. Amid fears she would need a hysterectomy, Rebecca was told that if she wanted children she should have them “sooner rather than later”.
After deciding to spend some of her winnings on IVF she became pregnant after two rounds.
Rebecca gave birth to Ethel in January after shelling out £12,000 on the treatment, using sperm from a donor.
Now the mum is working with the Fertility Network UK charity to help others going through IVF. She has joined forces with the organisation to discuss the challenges faced by hopeful couples during the festive season.
Single mum Rebecca said: “I really hope that by chatting about my story others will find hope in their journey. The more people talk about IVF the less stigma will be attached to it and we can talk freely about it and help each other. “I think a lot about people who are trying to conceive and find the festive season difficult.”
The orthopaedic nurse, of Eastwood, Notts, has also spoken about how her Christmas will be different this year. Rebecca said: “Normally I work on Christmas Day at the hospital but as I’m on maternity leave, I’ll be home all day for the first time in many years. “This year [will] be different with Covid... but we’ll make it a great first Christmas for Ethel – surrounded by those closest will be enough.” Rebecca got overexcited when buying Ethel’s gifts, including a ride-on Audi TT. She said: “Lockdown didn’t help. We had nowhere to go, so while Ethel was napping I did an internet shop. You don’t notice at first, then all the parcels seemed to arrive at once and I thought, ‘Oh my goodness’. “I want her to stay grounded, but you get a bit excited for their first Christmas.”
The family in 2016