Chelsea Judd and her husband had tried for years to have a child.
After seven years of heartbreaking disappointment, Chelsea Judd is finally pregnant, thanks to her best friend.
The Utah woman and her husband, Steve, finally learned her eggs weren't fertile enough after an IVF attempt failed. They were reluctant to use an anonymous donor.
And that's when Chelsea's friend, Tia Stokes, stepped forward to help.
The two women met in a dance class and quickly became very close. Tia has four children of her own, and offered her friend a gift that resulted in the birth of Giselle, weighing in at 7 pounds and 6 ounces, in May 2016.
"I''m a mom and it broke my heart that Chelsea was struggling so much to have a family," Tia said. "I really wanted that for Chelsea."
Tia's eggs were fertilized by Steve's sperm and implanted in Chelsea's womb.
"It's so funny that the eggs I donated turned out to be a girl because my house is full of boys," Tia said. "I know she is mine, but really she's not. Her mom is Chelsea."
Chelsea and Steve plan to tell Giselle one day about Tia. And next month they are going to use Tia's leftover eggs to attempt a second pregnancy.
"For now, she's auntie Tia, but I'm so happy she will be able to understand and know who she is as she grows up," Chelsea said.
Besides, says Tia, "I truly believe that our bodies are just instruments to hold our spirits ... So I just merely provided Chelsea's daughter with the instruments she needed to be here."
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