Thursday, December 25, 2008
Young widow to try for IVF baby
A young widow spoke of the hard decision she made to have her deceased husband's baby through fertility treatment.
Lisa Wilkinson, 26, married her partner of five years Gareth Wilkinson two years ago while he was undergoing treatment for an aggressive form of bone cancer.
Mrs Wilkinson, a staff nurse at Musgrove Park Hospital, Taunton, and Mr Wilkinson, a care assistant in the hospital's accident and emergency department, were determined to walk up the aisle and not be beaten by the illness.
In April last year, Mrs Wilkinson won a local newspaper's Bride of the Year competition, after judges heard her tragic story. But in September Mr Wilkinson, 26, lost his battle against the cancer.
Before he underwent a programme of chemotherapy, he gave a sample of his sperm to be frozen to allow the couple, from Wellington, Somerset, to have a child. Now Mrs Wilkinson is preparing to go ahead with the IVF treatment next year.
Mrs Wilkinson told the Western Daily Press: "I miss him so much, every day I miss him more I suppose.
"Gareth had been ill for a long time but you can't prepare for something like this.
"We made the decision some time ago that we would take a sample so we could have a baby and I'm going to start the treatment in January. It is what we both wanted.
"It will be hard without Gareth but I have a lot of support from family and friends who have been great."
Mr Wilkinson's situation appeared to improve later last year, but the cancer returned and they were dealt the devastating news that he might not survive. He died on September 10.
Lisa Wilkinson, 26, married her partner of five years Gareth Wilkinson two years ago while he was undergoing treatment for an aggressive form of bone cancer.
Mrs Wilkinson, a staff nurse at Musgrove Park Hospital, Taunton, and Mr Wilkinson, a care assistant in the hospital's accident and emergency department, were determined to walk up the aisle and not be beaten by the illness.
In April last year, Mrs Wilkinson won a local newspaper's Bride of the Year competition, after judges heard her tragic story. But in September Mr Wilkinson, 26, lost his battle against the cancer.
Before he underwent a programme of chemotherapy, he gave a sample of his sperm to be frozen to allow the couple, from Wellington, Somerset, to have a child. Now Mrs Wilkinson is preparing to go ahead with the IVF treatment next year.
Mrs Wilkinson told the Western Daily Press: "I miss him so much, every day I miss him more I suppose.
"Gareth had been ill for a long time but you can't prepare for something like this.
"We made the decision some time ago that we would take a sample so we could have a baby and I'm going to start the treatment in January. It is what we both wanted.
"It will be hard without Gareth but I have a lot of support from family and friends who have been great."
Mr Wilkinson's situation appeared to improve later last year, but the cancer returned and they were dealt the devastating news that he might not survive. He died on September 10.
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