My sister Rachel struggled to conceive for years. She and her husband spent a little fortune trying to become parents, but eventually, all those IFV’s ended up with heartbreaking miscarriages that broke my sister’s heart over and over again. It felt like her world collapsed little by little as she could no longer try. And that’s when I came into the picture and agreed to be their surrogate.

The decision wasn’t made lightly, but on the day they asked me to carry their baby, Rachel has already lost her bubbly personality. She withdrew more and more and stopped being around people who had children. She even missed some of my sons’ birthdays and I could no witness her dying inside.

Looking at my boys through the kitchen window as she slipped her fingers around the glass of water, I could feel the love she had for them and I knew she would be the perfect mother if she’ had the chance.

My heart ached for her and her husband, who entered the kitchen at that moment and placed his hand on my sister’s shoulder. He then turned to me and said, “Specialists say Rachel can no longer handle any treatments. They suggested surrogacy…” and the proceeded, “Abby, would you consider being one?” Jason asked.

Then Rachel got closer and took my hands in hers. “You know, Abby, you are my only chance of ever experiencing motherhood. Please take your time to think about the gift you could give me.”

That evening, my husband and I discussed the possibility of me being my sister’s surrogate. Having four boys already meant having a lot on my plate. Another pregnancy could take a toll on my body and my emotions, but watching my sister suffer was overwhelming.

I asked my husband to trust me and support me in my decision to be my sister’s surrogate.

It didn’t take long before Rachel and Jason’s baby started growing in my belly. They were extremely dedicated and couldn’t stop making plans for their future as parents.

The pregnancy went well and nothing spoke trouble, but on the day I gave birth to their baby girl, they were nowhere to be seen. Both my husband, Luke, and I tried reaching them, but there was no answer.

Hours passed by and Rachel and Jason finally appeared at the hospital. But their demeanor said something wasn’t right.

Instead of taking the girl, Rachel looked at me and said, “This isn’t the baby we expected. We don’t want it.”

“You’re joking, right?” I asked, still unable to process her words.

“It’s a girl. And Jason… Jason wanted a son.”

That’s when my husband intervened and started yelling at Rachel and her husband. “Have you both lost your minds?”

Jason was quick to leave the room, leaving Rachel to do the hard work. “He has given me an ultimatum, it’s either a son or he leaves me… I can’t take this girl, Jason doesn’t want her.”

“But you never said anything about gender,” I said, still shocked.

“That’s because you have given birth to four boys, so we thought it wouldn’t be any different this time,” Rachel said.

It was then that I told her to get out of the room. As she walked, she turned one more time and added, “Maybe you can take her to an orphanage, or give her to someone who wants a daughter.”

I felt dizzy. How could the person who wanted to be a mom so badly could speak of her daughter as of a piece of clothing?

Luke and I decided to raise Kelly ourselves. There was no way I would ever put her up for adoption. She was my blood, my sweet little niece…

The idea of being a surrogate seemed so rational at the beginning, but now it ruined my relationship with my sister.

A couple of weeks later, someone knocked on the door. “Who could it be on this rainy day?” I thought to myself as I opened the door.

It was Rachel. She looked different.

But before I could ask her why she was there, she started crying and said she was sorry. She couldn’t abandon her daughter, even if that meant separating from Jason.

I could feel her regret was sincere so I invited her in and let her hold Kelly for the first time.

Looking at my sister with her daughter, it felt like all the pieces fell into place. Being a single mother wouldn’t be easy, by my husband, my boys, and I were there to stand by her as long as she needed.