Determined mother who lost her sight in one eye after giving birth due to rare disease turns to a surrogate to achieve her dream of a second child

November 16, 2016

Kathryn Mallery and Chris Chapman appear on This Time Next Year
Screened their embryo through IVF to check for Von Hippel-Lindau disease
Kathryn gave birth to first daughter Lucy, but a tumour caused problems
She was warned not to carry another child as it could be a threat to her life
They welcomed baby Ella using surrogate couple Janine and Ben Gregory

Natalie Corner For Mailonline

Published:
07:38 EST, 16 November 2016

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Updated:
07:55 EST, 16 November 2016

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Her determination to give birth and become a mother saw Kathryn Mallery sacrifice her sight.

But having lost her vision in one eye she and her partner Chris Chapman decided not to risk another pregnancy after doctors warned her life could be at risk.

Kathryn, 34, turned instead to surrogate Janine Gregory. But when Kathryn’s embryos failed, Janine selflessly donated hers and successfully gave birth to a sibling for Kathryn’s child.

Their heartwarming and remarkable story is revealed on ITV show This Time Next Year.

Davina McCall meets couple Chris Chapman and Kathryn Mallery who had baby Ella via surrogate Janine Gregory on This Time Next Year – which showcases the incredible real-life transformations that can take place within a year

Ben and Janine Gregory (left) were more than happy to help the couple achieve their dreams of having a second child to complete their family

Appearing on the ITV show, which showcases the incredible real-life transformations that can take place within a year, Kathryn and Chris revealed that their surrogate Janine had given birth to a healthy baby girl named Ella.

They explained to host Davina McCall that they had originally used IVF so they were able to screen for Von Hippel-Lindau disease which Kathryn had inherited.

The procedure resulted in three healthy embryos and Kathryn gave birth to their first daughter Lucy using one.

But the pregnancy caused problems for Kathryn and she was left blind in one eye due to a tumour.

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Kathryn’s mother-in-law Denise explained how much she wanted a child: ‘Kat was just so willing and so wanting Lucy that she was prepared to go through anything to get her.

‘But they were both told not to go and have another baby, it was too risky for Kat.’

Knowing the threat to Kathryn’s health and left with two embryos the couple decided to consider surrogacy: ‘We knew that another pregnancy would be too much of a risk,’ she told Davina.

‘We started to think about what we would do with the other two embryos and that is when the idea of surrogacy came up.

Davina talks with Kathryn and Chris a year before as they explain what they wanted this time next year with the help of Janine and Ben

‘We started to research and tried to understand what it meant, how do people do it? There are a few big agencies that help facilitate the meeting of a surrogate.’

The couple went on to meet Janine and Ben who were more than willing to help, but after the two remaining embryos failed to work, Janine selflessly offered to donate her own eggs to Kathryn and Chris.

‘We actually had two attempts with the embryos but they were unsuccessful and we lost everything there. So Janine has made the incredible offer to keep going using her eggs,’ Kathryn explained.

Janine said it wasn’t a hard decision to make: ‘It took us a while didn’t it, to conceive our first child,’ she said as Ben sat beside her, ‘So we kind of got a very small glimpse into the struggles of having a baby. But I enjoy pregnancy I love it. So why not if I can.’

Ben added: ‘I hope if we ever needed that there would be someone out there that would do it for us and that was quite a mutual decision so when Janine raised it, I was pretty supportive from the start.

‘We are such good friends with these guys, it just felt the right thing to do.’

Kathryn and Chris were with Janine and Ben every step of the way through her pregnancy, and when she gave birth, she said it was a simple straighforward step of handing over the baby.

The couples all met via an agency that helped to facilitate meetings willing surrogates. They soon became firm friends and wanted to do anything to help each other out

‘It’s not hard at all. Really easy, I think it’s a process, so when you decide to do it. It’s not a case of giving it up, it’s never mine. It was always theirs,’ she explained to the presenter.

It was an emotional moment as Kathryn and Chris offered their heartfelt thanks to the couple for helping their ‘dream come true’.

‘The hardest thing about this journey is, how will we thank them?,’ Kathryn says in video footage recorded during their joine baby shower. ‘Because there just isn’t the words. What they’ve done is just amazing.

‘And I hope that we can show them through our friendship in the future and that they can see the baby growing up and making us so happy and that’s enough to make them so proud of what they’ve done, because I just don’t know how we’ll ever find the words.’

‘Janine has been so strong and so brave. For someone to do that for you, you feel guilt that they are in pain for you and so much love for her and what has done to support her,’ she added as Janine went into labour and moments later a dark-haired baby is handed over to the proud parents.

Chris says of his newborn daughter: ‘Having Ella in front of us now because of what Janine and Ben have done is like a dream come true.

‘We have met two beautiful people who have given us a beautiful little girl and given Lucy the opportunity to have a little sister which she would never have been able to have. So for that I am forever thankful.’

This Time Next Year is on Wednesdays on ITV at 8pm