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When she received the devastating news, she thought she’d never fulfill her dream of having another child.
Randi Fishman was 28 when she was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2011.
According to Daily Mail, the now 34-year-old, from Maryland in the US, had a double mastectomy and froze 10 of her eggs in hopes that one day she would be able to carry a child.
Sadly, her dreams were crushed after doctors told her that she would be putting her life at risk if she carried her own little one – even if she overcame the disease.
Randi, who already has a daughter named Parker, refused to give up and started a lengthy and rather expensive process to find a surrogate to carry her and her husband, Zach’s embryos.
But that’s when Randi’s sister, Erin Silverman (35), selflessly offered to carry their little one for them, saving the couple from waiting several years to complete their family, reports ABC News.
It’s been just over two months since Little Austyn was born and Randi says she’s in complete awe of her sister’s generosity, but Erin, who at the time of Randi’s diagnosis had only been married for six months, says she wouldn’t think twice about doing it all again.
“It was a long process, a long journey and I'm thankful for everything,” says Erin.
“I always told her that when I was done having kids, I would have a kid for her.”
The mom of two began the long surrogacy process for her baby sister back in 2016. Erin endured countless medical tests to ensure that she was healthy enough to carry Randi’s baby.
The 35-year-old is the only one of three daughters in her family not to carry the BRCA1 gene – which increases a woman’s risk of breast cancer and ovarian cancer according to the National Cancer Institute.
Unlike her sister, Randi has the gene and will be undergoing a hysterectomy in three weeks’ time as a preventative measure.
According to People, Randi’s embryos were also tested for the gene, and only those that were negative were used for implantation.
“We are grateful and fortunate and lucky,” Zach told the magazine. “We’re incredibly lucky.”
His wife, who has been in remission for six years now, says she doesn’t plan on having any more children and admits that having cancer has changed the way she views life.
“We are done financially, mentally and emotionally,” says Randi.
“It's a blessing to wake up every day. I can't believe I have two daughters, I didn't think that this was possible.”
Sources: dailymail.co.uk, abcnews.go.com, people.com
