Couple who survived cancer given ‘gift of life’ by Facebook mums
PARENTS who both survived cancer have been given the gift of life from a group of mums they have never met.
Marisha Chaplin shared her experiences with other women in a Facebook group made up of mothers from across the country, including scores from Manchester.
She had told them how she and partner Jon Hibbs - who both had both been diagnosed with the rare cancer Hodgkin’s lymphoma when they were younger – had needed IVF to have daughter Evie.
Marisha’s chemotherapy led to premature ovarian failure and the couple were told they needed donor eggs.
After a successful round of IVF to have Evie on the NHS, the pair were told it would cost £2,000 to pay for a further round to give her a sibling – something they say they could never afford.
But mums in the May Babies 2016 Facebook group decided to raise the money themselves.
Lainey Orgill, Edel Quinn, Zoe Hawkins, Chelsea Morris, Rachel Kerr and Nicola Baker – all from Manchester – were among the mums who set up a secret fundraising group that Marisha couldn’t see.
On Sunday night, when Marisha thought she was going live on Facebook to promote make-up she sells, they surprised her with a video showing messages from the mums telling her about the amount they had raised.
Marisha, 25, from Nottingham, told the M.E.N.: “The Facebook group is all ladies who were due in May last year and we have obviously become very close over the last couple of years.
“They know about my struggle to have Evie – we tried for six years to have her – and they knew I was getting upset again because we couldn’t have another child and we always wanted one.
“We’d always said we’d never be able to afford it and I think the girls just felt really heartbroken for me.”
She added: “When I went live on the group I just thought I was showing them the make-up and they got Jon to come in the room and show me the video.
“When I realised what it was and that they’ve raised £2,000 I was absolutely shocked. I genuinely didn’t believe it. I’m still in shock and it just hasn’t set in at all. They have truly given us the gift of life. I know we still have to go through IVF and it might not be successful, but they have given us the gift of life.”
Fundraiser Lainey Orgill, from Altrincham, added: “The group has being together for about 16 months now and support is always there no matter when or what for. Everyone has become really close and you wouldn’t believe that some people have never met.”