Infertile Cancer Survivor Can’t Give up the Dream of Becoming a Mom — And Then She Makes a Special Friend on Instagram
Thanks to her surrogate Marissa finally gets to be a mother after a long infertility journey.
Marissa Smith, a 30-year-old infertile cancer survivor is finally becoming a mother after her friend agreed to be her surrogate.
Long Infertility Journey Leads To Surrogate
At age 25, Marissa was diagnosed with a cancerous tumor in her cervix and uterus. She underwent four surgeries and 12 procedures to her reproductive system in a bid to make her uterus suitable for pregnancy. But after three years and unsuccessful rounds of IVF, she was told she would never become pregnant.
Doctors suggested the couple look into using a surrogate. Marissa was matched with a surrogate and began the surrogacy process. But in 2021, both of the two embryo transfers failed.
During this time, while spending time online researching the process, Marissa had stumbled across Ariel Taylor’s posts.
Taylor, 31, has an eight-year-old daughter and two step daughters with her fiancé, and had already been a surrogate three times.
The pair became close, meeting in real life, and becoming best friends.
“We became friends over the fact I was a surrogate and she was using one,” Ariel, a social worker and psychotherapist, from London, said.
“We got really close while she was going through that process of losing her old surrogate. She was having a really hard time and people don’t really understand how it feels — but we bonded so quickly because I got it.”
The friends started talking about how nice it would be to be on the journey together.
Knowing Ariel liked American actor Jesse McCartney, Marissa got him to record a Cameo video asking Ariel to be her surrogate.
Ariel said yes, and now she is 25 weeks pregnant with Marissa’s baby — conceived via IVF using Marissa’s egg and Marissa’s husband’s sperm.
The baby boy is due on July 9.
From Friends To Surrogate To Family
Marissa, a special education teacher in Toronto, is “over the moon” but admits that it has been a struggle and she is still processing her trauma from her infertility issues.
“When I was told I wouldn’t be able to carry a pregnancy, it was very very hard,” the mother-to-be said.
“I had hoped for so long to be a mother. But thanks to Ariel, we can finally experience parenthood.”
The process has brought Ariel and Marissa closer and they consider themselves family.
“It’s very surreal when we’re together, I still don’t really believe she has my baby in her stomach,” Marrisa said.
“But I couldn’t be happier and I feel so lucky to get a chance to have a surrogate because so many people don’t get that opportunity.”
Marissa goes to all the midwife appointments and ultrasounds with Ariel, and the pair go baby shopping together.
Once the baby is born, Ariel will become an aunt. Ariel, her partner and her children are already like an extended family to Marissa’s and Marissa and her husband will tell their son that Ariel was the surrogate.
“There’s nothing I could do to repay her and show her how much I appreciate what she’s doing. We’ll continue our friendship forever. She is now part of our family, and we are part of hers.”
Ariel said it’s nice for her too because she loves being pregnant but doesn’t want another baby of her own.
The two women share their stories on Instagram where there is a large infertility community, spreading awareness and offering support and education to other women.
It’s never not okay to ask for help, and it’s one of life’s great treats to be able to give help!
