Shannon Garner is in an elite but very special group - she is an altruistic surrogate, a woman who carried and gave birth to a baby for another couple without financial reward. Most people simply can't get their head around the idea that somebody would do such a thing, but after reading Labour Of Love I have come to better understand the whole process and gained a huge amount of respect for Shannon and her family.
Shannon and her husband already had two healthy children when they made the momentous decision for Shannon to be the surrogate for same sex couple Jon and Justin. They are an ordinary family in many respects, but Shannon had an out of the ordinary desire to help somebody else to create the family of their dreams. Following some further research, she is connected with Jon and Justin, who are desperate for a child of their own. From there it was a somewhat complex journey, to ensure all parties were aware of what they were undertaking, but never once did Shannon waver in her desire to be a surrogate.
Shannon and her husband already had two healthy children when they made the momentous decision for Shannon to be the surrogate for same sex couple Jon and Justin. They are an ordinary family in many respects, but Shannon had an out of the ordinary desire to help somebody else to create the family of their dreams. Following some further research, she is connected with Jon and Justin, who are desperate for a child of their own. From there it was a somewhat complex journey, to ensure all parties were aware of what they were undertaking, but never once did Shannon waver in her desire to be a surrogate.
Labour of Love is an eye opening read. Shannon writes with warmth and honesty as she takes the reader through the entire process - from meeting Jon and Justin, to preparing her body for the embryo to the implanted and the pregnancy itself - which was more challenging than her previous two. Beyond that though, Shannon also reveals the connection she and her family formed with Jon and Justin (and their extended families) and how she kept her emotions in check as she prepared for the birth of Elsie. Being a donor egg, Shannon has no biological connection to the baby she is carrying and this helps her to be able to hand Elsie over to her parents. Furthermore as she continues to be a part of Elsie's life, Shannon maintains a wonderful bond with the child who grew in her womb.
All in all this is a beautiful story, wonderfully told by Shannon herself. It is a story of love and hope and demonstrates that there are amazing, unselfish people in the world who do good deeds with no other agenda than to help others.
All in all this is a beautiful story, wonderfully told by Shannon herself. It is a story of love and hope and demonstrates that there are amazing, unselfish people in the world who do good deeds with no other agenda than to help others.
RSS Feed
