Anthony (R) with Ray (L), Tracey, and baby Theo (Picture: Caters)
A selfless sister has helped her brother fulfil his dreams of becoming a dad by carrying his baby.
Anthony Deegan, 38, and his partner Ray Williams, 30, were elated when Tracey Hulse, 42, put an end to their year-long search for a surrogate.
The couple knew their baby would be in safe hands as Tracey already had six children of her own.
The hopeful parents took out a £36,000 loan to fund three rounds of IVF using two anonymous egg donors. They welcomed baby Theo into the world on October 12 last year.
Anthony says his bond with his sister is stronger than ever before after she gave him the greatest gift of life.
Anthony, who is a Subway franchisee, said: ‘Tracey and I have always been close – we are more like best friends.
‘I walked her down the aisle on her wedding day as our dad couldn’t make it.
‘Then 17 years later, she introduced us to our son which will always be a special moment for us. We couldn’t repay Tracey, you can’t put a price on what she has done for us.’
Tracey already has six kids of her own, but couldn’t wait to help her brother (Picture: Caters)
Initially, the couple hoped to meet someone through social events hosted by a Surrogacy UK. But after a year, they hadn’t formed a bond with anyone and were beginning to lose hope.
They hadn’t even considered Tracey as she has half a dozen children of her own to look after.
Tracey, who is an Area Manager, said: ‘A year passed and they still hadn’t found a surrogate so I decided to help. I had already offered twice before but we laughed it off.
‘Until the third time, I told them I would seriously like to carry their baby for them. I had already spoken to my husband Wayne about it and he thought I may be too old. But I didn’t feel it!
‘I felt honoured when they said yes as it meant my brother trusted me enough to carry his baby.’
The couple started the IVF process through Care Fertility based in Manchester. They created two separate batches of embryos using an anonymous egg donor and both of their sperm.
The happy new parents (Picture: Caters)
They’ve decided not to discuss whose sperm was used to create Theo as he is ‘both’ of their son.
Anthony said: “’t was important for us to have a biological child. But it doesn’t matter which batch was used as Theo is our baby.’
It was third time lucky for the couple after two rounds of IVF failed. Tracey said: ‘We were devastated when two pregnancy tests came back negative. But we never gave up.
‘They didn’t pressure me into doing another round, I wanted to.’
Anthony praises his sister and partner for all working together as a ‘unit’.
He says they remained ‘on the same page’ at all times.
He said: “Every decision was made together and for the right reasons.
The couple say Theo has slotted right …read more
Source:: Metro
Analysis: Rafael Nadal v Stefanos Tsitsipas | Australian Open 2021 | Tennis | Eurosport
Tornado North Carolina. At least 3 dead, 10 injured in North Carolina tornado. tornado last night
At least 3 dead, 10 injured in North Carolina tornado. Tornado North Carolina A deadly tornado fueled by a major winter storm struck a coastal North Carolina community late Monday night and killed at least three people and injured 10 more. The tornado hit the Ocean Ridge Plantation area in Brunswick County, North Carolina, at about 11:50 p.m. Monday night, Brunswick County officials said. Several homes were destroyed and several others were "severely" damaged. Emergency management officials said they'd be sweeping through the area when the sun came up to search the destruction for any additional injuries or deaths. All told, there were four reports of tornadoes from severe weather spawned by major Winter Storm Uri. Storms also damaged homes and other structures and left at least four people injured Monday in Florida and Georgia. In Georgia, a tornado touched down in Damascus, a small community in the southwest corner of the state. Early County Fire Department Capt. Bobby Wimberly said initial reports from units that responded indicated one person was injured and several homes destroyed. “We don’t know the full details yet, they’re still on scene," Wimberly told weather.com in a phone call around 5:30 p.m. EST
Oncor Asks All Customers To Prepare For Power Outages Lasting ‘Extended Period Of Time