After learning she had cervical cancer and would never be able to have children again, Micaela Gump-Johnson was sad. Her mother Sheila then offered to act as a surrogate for her. After cervical cancer rendered her daughter infertile at age 23, the grandma gave birth to twin grandsons. Micaela Gump-Johnson, a nursery worker, experienced a breakdown when she was diagnosed extremely early in life after attempting for a second child.
She was informed by her doctor that she would never be able to have children and that her options included a total hysterectomy, chemotherapy, and radiation. At the time, the mother already had a three-year-old boy. when treatment starts. Her aspirations were dashed when she made the decision to create embryos but realized she wouldn’t be able to pay a surrogate, so her mother Sheila stepped in to save the day. Until her doctor informed her that they had discovered “something” on her cervix and requested a sample, Micaela believed she had a yeast infection. She discovered she had small cell neuroendocrine cervical carcinoma two weeks after that.
Micaela, a resident of the US state of Illinois, told The Sun that when her mother urged her to consult a fertility specialist, she sobbed and retorted: “I don’t know “Mom, even if we do manage to produce embryos, we simply cannot afford to employ a surrogate. That is not feasible.” When asked to help, Sheila said, “If I’m permitted to do it, I will,” to her daughter. At the age of 16, Sheila gave birth to Micaela, who described them as being more alike than mother and daughter. Micaela underwent a hysterectomy, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy to treat her cancer after 19 embryos were produced via in vitro fertilization.
She was told she was cancer-free three months after her last treatment, meaning she can now focus on trying to have a baby. Sheila was 42 at the time, causing Micaela to worry that the doctors would not allow her to carry out a surrogate mother. But they did, and within a few months, the transplant was taking place. Mother-of-three Sheila, now 44, said: “I laughed when the embryo was implanted. It was my first time pregnant without a man in the room.”
Her other two kids are currently 11 and 14. Sheila’s pregnancy test was positive 10 days after the mother and daughter sobbed and hugged. It hasn’t been an easy time for Micaela, though; since the mother and her kids live an hour away, she doesn’t get to witness the milestones as they happen. She is concerned that they won’t get along well together. She claimed that she secretly wished she was having boy and girl twins for herself. Sheila tried to distance herself from the situation and mentally be ready for the day the children would be in Micaela’s arms by telling herself from the beginning that the children weren’t hers.
She focuses on keeping the babies healthy. She had gestational diabetes and blood clots in the past, so she needed medication and close monitoring. When she finally told her friends she was having twins but her mother was holding them, some were shocked and told her, “Wow, that’s weird.” The twins were born at 36 weeks – a week before their scheduled caesarean section – with son Logan weighing 5lbs and daughter McKinley weighing 4lbs 10oz. They are now 14 months old and healthy, and Micaela said there are no relationship problems.
