Surrogacy proves a boon to an American couple

Anand, Gujarat, Feb 26 (UNI) A child birth here served two heart-touching purposes as a surrogate mother delivered a baby and in exchange got money to save her ailing son.

Thomas (36), and his Korean wife Kim (34), decided to go for a surrogate mother and selected a woman from Kolkata. The woman agreed a year ago to bear a child for the American couple to save her son who is receiving treatment for a severe heart ailment.

Thomas and Kim were present with the surrogate mother with her face covered at the infertility clinic of Dr Nayana Patel, under whose supervision the delivery was done, here for an interaction with mediapersons.

''I am very happy. She (surrogate mother) is like my sister,'' said a beaming Karen Kim, now a proud mother of a baby boy whom she named 'Brady'.

''This case has made me happy as it helped resolve a social problem. A woman who wanted to be a mother has got a child and a mother who wanted her son to be treated has been able to get money,'' Dr Patel said.

The two women were brought together by Dr Patel at her clinic here where the Kolkatan woman lived during the pregnancy period.

For this, the American couple had paid Rs 9,000 per month for last one year plus Rs 4 lakh to the woman, who is now anxious to go back to her place to help her ailing son get proper treatment.

Tragedy had struck Ms Kim while she was 16 and her uterus was operated upon for removing a tumour which nullified her chances of conceiving. Luckily for her, the In Vitro Fertilisation (IVR) procedure worked.

''I knew surrogacy was the only way for Karen to conceive,'' Thomas said.

Both Thomas and Kim are originally from South Korea and are now US citizens. They are followers of Buddhism and their spiritual link drew them to India. The prohibitive cost of surrogacy in the US (anywhere upto 50,000 dollars) was also another factor that helped them to decide to come to India.

UNI