Photo:abc news
abc news
The birth became a reality after new mom Mallory and her husband Nick became part of the University of Alabama at Birmingham Medicine’s transplant program. The program isone of only four of its kindin the U.S. and required the couple to live in Birmingham, Alabama for over a year after receiving a transplant from a deceased donor through the nonprofitLegacy of Hope.
According tothe university’s website, Mallory and Nick chose to pursue a uterus transplant after Mallory’s sister served as a gestational surrogate for the birth of their daughter. Mallory learned that she would be unable to biologically carry children of her own after being diagnosed withMayer-Rokitansky-Küster-Hauser syndromeat the age of 17.
“There are all different ways to grow your family if you have uterine factor infertility, but this [uterus transplantation] is what I feel like I knew that I was supposed to do,” Mallory told UAB’s website. “I will forever advocate for UAB and uterus transplant in general, as it gave me the opportunity to be pregnant and finally become a family of four.”
Before welcoming their son in May, Mallory underwent in vitro fertilization and a “near 18-month process” of clinical care.
“Even through some of the tough stuff, I really embraced pregnancy as I knew it would be the only time I was going to be able to do it, and I knew how lucky I was to be able to experience it,” she shared with UAB. “Sharing that journey with our daughter was so special, too, with her being able to feel my belly. I just had so much gratitude to experience this.”
“We are thrilled for Mallory and her husband, Nick, and humbled that they entrusted our UAB Medicine care team to guide them through this long, difficult — and exciting — journey of transplantation, pregnancy and childbirth,“Anupam Agarwal, M.D., senior vice president for Medicine and dean of the Heersink School of Medicineshared with the university’s website.
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“Our goal and dream for this program is to make this routine for women who want to experience pregnancy and childbirth but can’t for a variety of health reasons,” he explained. “We have the expertise and the multidisciplinary teams in place here to help make this reality. Their work with Mallory and our other transplant recipients and pregnancies to date has just been phenomenal.”
source: people.com
