A Daylesford mother is giving her daughter the ultimate gift - a chance to become a mum.
Kirstie Coffey was 16 when she was diagnosed with Mayer-Rokitansky-Kuster-Hauser Syndrome, a condition that causes the uterus to be absent.
People with MRKH still have ovaries and can produce eggs, but cannot carry a child.
Ms Coffey is now 22. She is a well-known member of the Dayelsford community as a local supermarket checkout operator.
A few years ago, Ms Coffey met the love-of-her-life Brad Otoole. The pair has now decided to become parents.
Luckily, that’s not an impossible dream. Ms Coffey and her mum Katrina Allen, 41, have a special pact – Ms Allen will carry Ms Coffey and Mr Otoole’s baby as a surrogate.
Unfortunately the process is expensive and will cost a whopping $35,000.
Ms Coffey said finding out she could not bear her own children had been a painful experience.
“I felt heartbroken because I always wanted to have kids one day. But mum’s always supported me and been there. If it wasn’t for her, I don’t know if I would have gotten through it emotionally,” she said.
Ms Coffey, who is halfway through a Bachelor of Nursing degree, said the support among Daylesford’s community had been enormous.
“They (the community has) been saying they’re going to help and that what my mum is doing is a wonderful thing.”
Ms Coffey and her mother have just launched a GoFundMe page, where they hope to raise at least $10,000 of the costs involved.
Ms Allen said she and her daughter had made their special pact a long time ago.
“She was diagnosed at 16 when she didn’t start getting periods. The doctors did tests and an ultrasound and found out she had no uterus,” she said.
“We were, very disappointed, so we’d always planned to do this down the road when she found someone.
“I don’t really consider it a big thing, I just see it as something most mothers would do for their kids. I’ve had four so I thought another (birth) won’t matter.”
The process is expected to be successful.
The family must meet with counsellors and lawyers before starting embryo transfers with Monash IVF.
“Kirstie’s young and I’m young and I’ve never had any trouble with kids so it should be a high success rate,” Ms Allen said.
Legislation prevents Medicare giving benefits for surrogacy IVF arrangements.
To donate toward Ms Coffey’s dream of becoming a mother, visit www.gofundme.com/2hq3trg
For more information, contact Ms Coffey at kirstiecoffey@outlook.com.au
