Great mum acts as surrogate for her cancer survivor little sister

When US mum Randi Fishman was 28, she had a double mastectomy following a breast cancer diagnosis. Randi froze 10 embryos, in the hopes of becoming a mum one day, but the hormones associated with her egg harvest were thought to have prompted a breast cancer recurrence. 

A rough trot

This was obviously the last thing she needed as she recovered and tried to plan for the future. Randi was dealt another blow when doctors advised her that her mum dreams might need adjusting.

Some types of cancer are affected by oestrogen levels, and Randi’s medical team advised her that she should not carry a baby, as further hormonal activity could prompt another relapse.

Randi’s older sister, Erin, was having none of it. She quickly put her hand up, offering to act as a surrogate, because sisters truly are The Best.

“It was awful when she was diagnosed with breast cancer at such an early age and I felt horrible she was not able to have kids,” Erin told People Magazine.

At the time, Erin and her husband were still deep in the trenches of having their own kids, so Randi and husband Zach sought out a non-familial surrogate. Happily, their daughter Parker was born in 2014.

Timing is everything

Erin went on to have her own two little girls, but then put her hand up for the sisterly surrogacy job she volunteered for years earlier.

“I wanted to give Parker a sister,” Erin told People, explaining that two of her sister’s embryos were implanted and she gave birth to her niece, Austyn, in December of 2017.

“I just feel so lucky, I’m going to cry,” elated new mum-of-two Randi said. “Going through a couple years of so much, it’s literally the best gift anyone could have given me and for it to be my sister is that much more amazing, it was all worth it in the end.”

(Potentially) world’s greatest sister Erin said doing this for her sister was a given and “no big deal” – despite the fact that the pregnancy had been very challenging.

“She’s my sister and I’m able to have children, it’s 10 months out of my life, why shouldn’t I? It wasn’t a big deal to do it.”

“There is no way to thank her for what she did for us,” an emotional Randi explained.