At age 55, Tinina Cade became a surrogate mom of triplets when her daughter couldn’t conceive. Now, God is using the family’s special experience to help other couples battling infertility. And this inspiring short story proves a mother’s love knows no bounds!
Camille and Jason Hammond were first-year medical students when they met and fell in love. Three years later, they married and set to work on fulfilling their dream of starting a #family.
This is where their fairytale romance hit a snag. Camille suffers from a condition affecting the uterus called endometriosis. She knew this could make conceiving a child hard, but had faith she’d manage to get #pregnant.
When trying to conceive the old fashioned way didn’t work, Camille and Jason Hammond turned to in vitro fertilization (IVF). But after several years and six failed attempts, doctors broke the news that Camille would never give birth.
“We were devastated,” Camille said.
The only options left for the couple were adoption or surrogacy.
What Is The Meaning Of A #Surrogate?
A healthy surrogate carries and delivers another couple’s child. In the case of Camille and Jason Hammon, Camille could produce healthy eggs. Her uterus simply couldn’t sustain the development of a healthy fetus.
So, using the IVF process, doctors would implant Camille’s eggs, fertilized by Jason, into the healthy womb of a surrogate mother. This woman would then let her body do the work of nourishing the baby throughout the #pregnancy until it was time to deliver.
A surrogate birth didn’t initially appeal to Camille and Jason. They didn’t like the idea of a stranger carrying their baby. But it turns out God had already put the perfect person in place!
Camille’s mother, Tinina Cade, hated seeing her daughter’s heartache over not being able to have children. And the more Tinina saw her daughter suffer, the more convinced she became that she was the best candidate as Camille’s surrogate mother.
It took a little while for Camille and Jason to warm up to the idea. But then it sunk in — who better to care for their baby than the child’s grandma? So, the family decided to give it a try.
At 55 years old, Tinina was post-menopausal. However, doctors discovered she’d have no problem carrying a fertilized egg. And by the second IVF attempt, she was pregnant.
“That was one of the best days, highly emotional,” Tinina said.
But God had an even bigger surprise in store.
Not only was Tinina pregnant, she was actually carrying triplets!
For Camille Hammond, doctors used IVF to implant 3 of her eggs, separately fertilized using Jason’s sperm, into her mom’s womb.
They implanted multiple eggs in the hopes one would develop into a viable pregnancy. But all three survived, meaning Tinina would give birth to triplets!
Carrying triplets came as a shock. And at 55 years old, it wouldn’t be easy. But Tinina was willing to do whatever it took to bring her three grandchildren into the world.
As a surrogate mom of triplets, Tinina experienced lots of discomforts and severe swelling. By the end of the pregnancy, she was even in a wheelchair. But thanks to her sacrifice, her three grandbabies had the chance to develop and grow strong.
After seven months of pregnancy, doctors decided the grandma’s body couldn’t take much more. So, this special surrogate mom of triplets gave birth via c-section in December 2004 to two boys and one girl — Aaron, Kai and Simone.
