'OUR MIRACLE FAMILY'

A precious pact turned Tory's dream into reality

- Words: Megan Rowe.

Watching little Violet Rose as she laughs while being pushed on a swing at the local park, Tory and Susanne Gervay are overcome with unconditional love.

The little girl’s mum and grandmother treasure these simple moments every day as they jointly raise the almost three-year-old, whose arrival in the world was anything but simple.

“She is an absolute joy,” Tory tells Woman’s Day, as her mother, Susanne, gently reflects on their emotional journey that began back in 2017.

At the time, 30-year-old Tory was battling stage-four kidney failure when she was struck by an intense and unexpected longing to become a mother.

“Tory wanted a baby more than anything but feared being a solo parent, so we made a pact to raise her child together,” Susanne, 72, explains. “Carrying a child herself was too risky due to her health so the plan was to extract her eggs and then use a surrogate.

“Over the next six years, I was by her side during eight failed IVF attempts as sadly, none of her eggs were viable.”

Determined to fulfil her daughter’s wish, Susanne found an American clinic known for success with complex cases. The mother-daughter duo pored over countless sperm donor profiles online until they agreed on a handsome suitor. The surrogacy agency then matched them with Misty, a compassionate mother of three, and an online friendship quickly blossomed.