GROUND BREAKING TRANSPLANT
SURGERY WHICH IS HELPING SOME OF
THESE PATIENTS HAVE CHILDREN.
>> HES PERFECT.
>> THIS IS LIKE NOT REAL.
>> NOT LONG AGO, THESE TWO WOMEN
WERE PERFECT STRANGERS.
>> OH!
>> NOW, THEY SHARE A BOND THAT
IS UNBREAKABLE.
IN THE FORM OF THIS TINY BABY
BOY NAMED TELBIN WALKER.
>> DO YOU REMEMBER THE FIRST
TIME YOU HELD TELBIN?
>> I DO.
I CANT EVEN EXPLAIN, YOU KNOW,
HOW IT FEELS TO HOLD HIM NOW
STILL.
ITS LIKE A GIST THAT I WILL
NEVER, EVER, EVER BE ABLE TO
REPAY CHERYL FOR.
>> CHELSEA GENOVONOVIC WAS A
TEENAGER WHEN DOCTORS TOLD HER
SHE WOULD NEVER BE ABLE TO GET
PREGNANT BORN WITH A RARE
CONDITION CALLED MRKH, HER
UTERUS NEVER FULLY DEVELOPED.
>> IT WAS DEVASTATING.
ALL I EVER WANTED TO DO WAS BE A
MOM.
>> CHELSEA AND HER HUSBAND,
JAKE, TRIED SURROGACY BUT WERE
UNSUCCESSFUL.
NEARLY THE POINT OF GIVING UP,
THE COUPLE DECIDED TO TRY
SOMETHING THAT SEEMED
UNIMAGINABLE.
>> FOR SOME REASON, I HAD
REMEMBERED WHERE MY PRIMARY CARE
PROVIDER HAD GIVEN ME THAT
"TIME" MAGAZINE ABOUT THE
UTERINE TRANSPLANTS AND IM
LIKE, IM JUST GOING TO GOOGLE
IT.
>> THATS WHEN A UTERUS FROM A
LIVING OR DECEASED DONOR IS
TRANSPLANTED INTO ANOTHER WOMAN
SO SHE CAN CARRY A BABY.
ITS A EXPERIMENTAL SURGERY
BEING TESTED FOR WOMEN WHO DONT
HAVE A FUNCTIONING UTERUS.
SO FAR, THERE HAVE BEEN 50
UTERUS TRANSPLANTS PERFORMED ALL
OVER THE WORLD.
20 BABIES HAVE BEEN BORN.
>> THESE WOMEN HAVE OVARIES,
THEY HAVE EGGS.
THEY JUST DONT HAVE THE UTERUS
TO GESTATE THE PREGNANCY.
SO ONCE WE ARE ABLE TO GIVE THEM
THAT UTERUS, THE VAST MAJORITY
ARE ABLE TO HAVE BABIES.
>> CHARLESSY FOUND A TRANSPLANT
PROGRAM IN PHILADELPHIA.
>> AND I SAID, WELL, IM JUST
GOING TO APPLY.
THEYRE NEVER GOING TO BICKPICK
BUT --
>> WHY DIDNT YOU THINK THEY
WOULD PICK YOU?
>> BECAUSE THERE ARE SO MANY
PEOPLE APPLYING.
>> BUT AFTER UNDERGOING A SERIES
OF TESTS, CHELSEA WAS NOT ONLY
SELECTED TO JURNDZ GO A
TRANSPLANT, DOCTORS TOLD HER
THEY ALREADY HAD A DONOR WHO WAS
A MATCH.
>> I WAS IN SHOCK BECAUSE I
WASNT ACTUALLY BELIEVING THAT
WE WERE GOING TO, YOU KNOW, DO
THIS.
>> IN FEBRUARY 2020, SHE
UNDERWENT THE 12-HOUR TRANSPLANT
SURGERY.
SIX WEEKS LATER, DOCTORS
IMPLANTED ONE OF THE COUPLES
THREE EMBRYOS.
THE FIRST DIDNT WORK.
BUT THE SECOND TIME AROUND --
>> OH, MY GOD.
>> I WENTZ MY WHOLE LIFE THINKIN
I WASNT ABLE TO CARRY A CHILD.
ITS LIKE SOMETHING OUT OF A
DREAM.
>> AS CHELSEAS BABY BUMP GREW
BIGGER, THE COUPLE COULDNT HELP
BUT WONDER WHO WAS THIS
MYSTERIOUS DONOR.
>> ALL I KNEW IS WHOEVER THIS
LADY WAS, SHE WAS PRETTY
SELFLESS AND PRETTY AMAZING.
>> BUT A FEW WEEKS LATER,
CHELSEA GOT THE OPPORTUNITY TO
MEET THE DONOR, CHERYL IRVIN, A
42-YEAR-OLD PENNSYLVANIA MOTHER
OF TWO WHO DECIDED TO BECOME A
DONOR AFTER HEARING ABOUT THE
TRANSPLANTS ON THE LOCAL NEWS.
THE TWO WOMEN HAD AN INSTANT
CONNECTION.
>> SOMETHING BROUGHT US
TOGETHER.
EVEN OUR PERMITS SEEMED VERY
SIMILAR.
>> ON MAY 18th, CHELSEA
DELIVERED BABY TELBIN.
AND LAST MONTH, CHERYL MET HIM
FOR THE FIRST TIME.
>> REALLY, WE DID IT.
THIS IS AMAZING.
>> WHAT MADE YOU WANT TO DO
THIS?
>> I HAD TWO GREAT PREGNANCIES.
I ENJOYED PREGNANCY.
I ENJOYED THE FEELING OF MY
KIDS.
SO I JUST WANTED TO BE ABLE TO
GIVE THAT TO SOMEBODY ELSE.
>> NOW, THESE TWO WOMEN CALL
EACH OTHER SOUL SISTERS.
>> I DO.
I FEEL LIKE A PART OF YOUR
FAMILY.
I FELT LIKE I WAS PREGNANT WITH
YOU.
>> THANKS TO A BREAK THROUGH
SURGERY AND A SELFLESS ACT.
>> OH.
>> WE WERE ALL JUST STANDING
AROUND STARING AT EACH OTHER.
>> I HAVE CHILLS.
>> SO CHELSEA SAYS, TELLS US IN
JUST A FEW MONTHS, THEYRE GOING
TO TRY FOR ONE MORE BABY WITH
THIS SAME UTERUS.
DOCTORS SAY WHILE THIS TYPE OF
TRANSPLANT IS BEING STUDIED,
THEY ARE GETTING BETTER AND
BETTER AT IT AND HAVING MORE
SUCCESS AND THEY HOPE IN THE
NEAR FUTURE THAT IT WILL BECOME
A VIABLE OPTION FOR WOMEN WITH
THIS TYPE OF INFERTILITY.
>> WHAT A BEAUTIFUL ACT OF
GENEROSITY FROM A TOTAL
STRANGER.
IM SO MOVED BY THAT.
>> SHE JUST WANTED TO GIVE THAT
EXPERIENCE.
>> WHAT ABOUT THOSE -- THEY DO
THOSE ANTI-REJECTION
MEDICATIONS.
DO THEY -- IM SURE THEY LOOKED
INTO IT, BUT IS THERE ANY IMPACT
ON THE BABY?
>> THATS A GOOD QUESTION.
ITS HARD ON THE BODY.
IN FACT, THESE SAME MEDICATIONS
HAVE BEEN STUDIED IN PREGNANT
KIDNEY TRANSPLANT RECIPIENTS AND
DOCTORS HAVE NOT FOUND ANY
INCREASE IN THE RISK OF BIRTH
DEFECTS, BUT DOCTORS TELL US
THERE IS STILL FRANKLY SO MUCH
THEY DONT KNOW ABOUT THE FULL
EFFECT OF THESE ANTI-REJECTION
MEDICATIONS.
SO THAT IS ONE OF THE MANY
THINGS THEYRE STILL TRYING TO
LEARN ABOUT.
SO SHELL TRY TO HAVE ONE MORE
CHILD AND THEN THEYLL REMOVE
THE UTERUS SO SHE DOESNT HAVE
TO TAKE THOSE DRUGS ANY MORE.
>> CAN THAT UTERUS BE USED FOR
SOMEBODY ELSE?
>> I DONT THINK SO.
I THINK THEYRE GOING TO -- YOU
KNOW, TWO FOR ONE --
>> YEAH, I KNOW.
>> ITS NOT A CAR, YEAH.
>> AND CARSON JUST SAID, YOU
KNOW, THE TAKE AWAY HERE, WHICH
IS THE IMPLICATIONS FOR THE
FUTURE.
THERE ARE SO MANY WOMEN WHO HAVE
SUFFERED FROM THIS, YOU KNOW,
SHE FOUND OUT WHEN SHE WAS 15.
>> THAT CHANGES EVERYTHING FOR A
YOUNG WOMAN.
>> YOU KNOW, DO YOU TELL YOUR
BOYFRIEND IN COLLEGE?
YOU KNOW, SO THIS IS GROUND