Ellidy Pullin reveals her race to retrieve Alex ‘Chumpy’ Pullin’s sperm following his tragic death
Ellidy Pullin has opened up about her emotional race to retrieve her late husband’s sperm for an incredible IVF journey.
The Gold Coast model, 30, suffered heartbreaking tragedy in 2020 when her partner, snowboarder Alex ‘Chumpy’ Pullin, drowned while spearfishing off Gold Coast’s Palm Beach.
Speaking on her podcast Darling, Shine! on Tuesday, the author detailed her race against the clock to retrieve his sperm hours later so she could conceive the child they had been trying for before his death.
Ellidy, who was with the Olympian for eight years, revealed the entire process was actually initiated by her close friend and Australian pro surfer Laura Enever.
‘We started looking into it, and we worked out there wasn’t a lot of time. It was 36 hours or something that [the procedure] had to be done in,’ Laura said on the podcast.
Ellidy Pullin has opened up about her emotional race to retrieve her late husband’s sperm for an incredible IVF journey. Pictured with snowboarder Alex ‘Chumpy’ Pullin
She went on to say she ‘didn’t know how to approach the situation’ while Ellidy and Chumpy’s family were grieving, ‘but knew that it had to happen soon’.
‘So the next morning I get up – and I’ve called Chloe Fisher [Ellidy’s friend and co-host] and been like, “You guys have to think about this. You can do sperm retrieval but it has to happen today,'” Laura added.
Ellidy went on to explain Chloe went through four IVF clinics before she found one willing to perform the procedure.
The Gold Coast model, 30, suffered heartbreaking tragedy in 2020 when her partner, snowboarder Alex ‘Chumpy’ Pullin, drowned while spearfishing off Gold Coast’s Palm Beach
Thankfully, with only 10 hours left in the 36 hour window, Dr Davidson was able to retrieve Chumpy’s sperm post mortem.
About seven months after Chumpy passed aged 32, Ellidy conceived daughter Minnie Alex Pullin during her second round of IVF treatments.
A two-time snowboard cross world champion, Chumpy was Australia’s flag-bearer in Sochi in 2014 and a mentor for many up-and-coming snowboarders.
Speaking on her podcast Darling, Shine! on Tuesday, the author detailed her race against the clock to retrieve his sperm hours later so she could conceive the child they had been trying for before his death. Pictured with daughter Minnie
Chumpy drowned at Palm Beach on the Gold Coast on July 8, 2020. Minnie was born in October, 2021.
It’s believed he was spearfishing by himself at an artificial reef at the beach when he was spotted on the ocean floor by a snorkeler.
He was a two-time boardercross world champion and had represented Australia at three Winter Olympics.
Just hours after Pullin’s death, Ellidy’s quick-thinking brother and friends mentioned the process of sperm retrieval. Sperm retrieval from a body can take place up to 36 hours after death.
Ellidy explained she only had 36 hours after Chumpy’s death to retrieve his sperm and was turned away by four IVF clinics before her friends found one that was able to get it done with 10 hours left on the clock
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