A selfless mother has performed the ultimate act of love, by giving birth to her own niece, after her sister-in-law was left infertile by cancer.
Rachel Wilcox, 32, from Walton, Kentucky was with her sister-in-law Amanda Patterson, 33, when she was diagnosed with stage three colon cancer and told she could not have a family.
Pregnant herself at the time, Rachel Wilcox, who is married to Amanda’s brother Micah, volunteered to be a surrogate after her doctor suggested it at a check up.
‘Her words stuck in my head. After I discussed it with Micah I suggested it to Amanda and Reid,’ she explained.
‘Luckily, they accepted and now have Adalyn Rae, the baby they longed for. Seeing the immediate mother and daughter bond between Amanda and the baby was incredible.
‘At the moment, Amanda and Reid are concentrating on being great parents to her, but, if they ever want a second child, I would happily be their surrogate again.’
Amanda Patterson, 33, from Franklin, Tennessee, with her sister-in-law Rachel Wilcox, 32, from Walton, Kentucky who became her surrogate when cancer robbed her of her chance to carry children
Amanda and her husband Reid with their daughter Adalyn who was born weighing 8lb 4oz at The Christ Hospital in Cincinnati, Ohio
Amanda following her final surgery, in January 2016. She was diagnosed with stage three colon cancer in October 2014
Rachel gave birth to 8lb 4oz Adalyn Rae Patterson – who Amanda and Reid named after her – at 10.45pm in The Christ Hospital in Cincinnati, Ohio two weeks early, on September 22, 2017.
Rache said: ‘I have an incredible bond with Adalyn, but she doesn’t feel like my child.
‘She’s a part of my story, but I have a connection with her that’s different to my own children.
‘When I saw her for the first time with Amanda, I could see that mother-daughter bond straight away, and that was so beautiful.’
Reid and Amanda with baby Adalyn and Rachel, who has offered to be a surrogate again if the couple want another child
Amanda and Rachel at their baby shower, on 22 July 2017. Amanda is married to Rachel’s brother Micah
Reid cuts the umbilical cord moments after their baby’s birth. Even though she didn’t carry the baby herself, the bond between mother and daughter was immediate
Amanda – who describes her sister-in-law as ‘the most selfless human being I know’ – was devastated after surgery to remove her tumour and her thyroid, where the cancer had spread to, followed by chemotherapy and radiotherapy, left her infertile.
Having only met Reid weeks before her colon cancer diagnosis in October 2014, she offered to end their relationship, but he stood by her and the couple married in November 2015.
Rachel, who coaches teachers on their professional development, then provided a sympathetic ear when Amanda, of Franklin, Tennessee, began investigating other ways of having a family with Reid, before suggesting she became their surrogate, following an Independence Day get together in July 2016.
Amanda celebrating the end of her chemotherapy, in September 2015
Amanda and Rachel at the fertility clinic, in January this year
Amanda and Reid on their wedding day, on 7 November 2015. The couple met weeks before Amanda was diagnosed with cancer
Rachel continued: ‘After speaking with my husband, I sent Amanda and Reid two long text messages the next day, telling them my offer was a genuine one.
‘At first, they said they could never ask that of me, but I told them I was an ideal person to do it.’
Once the two couples had agreed to proceed, they chose gestational surrogacy – where the baby isn’t genetically related to the surrogate. It involved having Amanda’s egg inseminated by Reid’s sperm and implanted into Rachel’s womb.
Luckily, the expensive procedure costing almost $54,000 (£40,000) – which Amanda and Reid funded from savings – proved successful and in February 2017, it was confirmed that Rachel was pregnant.
Proud mother Amanda, pictured with Adalyn, says she’ll never be able to repay Rachel for her kindness
Rachel at 25 weeks pregnant, carrying Amanda’s baby, in June 2017
Amanda, Rachel, Micah, and Reid, on New Year’s Eve, December 2016. Micah and Amanda are brother and sister
And Amanda and Reid were at the hospital, 300 miles from their home, for the birth.
Amanda said: ‘When Adalyn was born it was the most magical feeling, she was totally perfect.
‘We had waited to for that moment for so long and thought it would never come.
‘I was the first one to hold her and it was incredible having the skin-to-skin time, it just felt so right.
Rachel with Adalyn after the birth. Although she enjoys a special bond with Adalyn, she’s never felt like her child
‘Our gratitude to Rachel is never-ending, and something we will feel for the rest of our lives.
‘And to offer to do it all over again shows what an amazing person she is.’
Only a few years earlier, Amanda had feared cancer had stolen her chance of becoming a mother.
She continued: ‘In the first conversation me and Reid had about getting married, we talked about not being able to have a family because of my cancer, so when Adalyn came it was a revelation.
Amanda having a biopsy of her thyroid taken, in November 2014
Amanda and Reid have the option of expanding their family thanks to Rachel
‘We wouldn’t have missed her birth for the world. It was really important we were there for every moment.
‘We wanted it to be as close to a natural birth as possible, for us both to experience it as if I was the one having the baby.’
And now Amanda and Reid may have the chance to give their baby a brother or sister, thanks to Rachel’s humbling selflessness.
Rachel, who is a mother to Adia, seven, Isla, five, and Ike, two, has offered to do it all over again, to complete her sister-in-law’s family.
‘Our gratitude to Rachel is never-ending, and something we will feel for the rest of our lives’ Amanda said
Amanda, Rachel and Reid at their baby shower, on 22 July this year
She said: ‘I told Amanda that, in the future, if they ever wanted to do it again, to give Adalyn a brother or sister, I would be willing and able.
‘For them to have a family of their own is more important than my own needs and comforts.’
Amanda said: ‘I can’t believe she is willing to do this again for us.
‘We haven’t thought about it much, as we are currently focusing on Adalyn, but it is an option for the future.
‘Because Rachel is family, this whole experience has felt like a truly beautiful gift.
‘Throughout Adalyn’s life we will explain to her the amazing thing her aunt Rachel did for her and for us.
‘She’s sacrificed so much and we will never be able to repay her.’
Reid and Amanda in hospital with Rachel. The couple made sure they were there for the birth which took place 300 miles away from home