Life

[Minkyboy]

We had been married 10 years without being able to start a family when we started IVF. We had gorgeous twins 4 years ago, although things were more than a little touch and go with my boy at his birth as some of you with better memories than me might recall. Then we had our beautiful youngest girl at the earliest possible opportunity after the twins were born quite naturally and accidentally which has completed our family (we expect! ).

The thing is the IVF gave us several extra embryos which have been in storage up to now, we paid an extra £500 to store them for five years. Which is a lot of money for a bit of shelf space in a freezer if you ask me. In our decisions about whether or not to have IVF the biggest consideration was what to do with any 'spare' fertilised eggs, as your only options are to destroy them, give them to medical science or give them to other couples trying to have children. Because of our views that each of these bundles of cells deserved a chance of life we decided before we started that we would donate them.

So me and the wife have spent the evening trying to write "statements of goodwill" to children we might never know, who if they are born, will be born to couples we have never met. It is as hard as it sounds and we have both been crying into our wine. The parents can choose to use some of the non-identifying info to help the children understand their origins as they grow up. At 16 they can choose to see the non-identifying passages for themselves and at 18 they can choose to see the full info and track us down if they want. I hope they do.

So anyway, if any of you feckers end up with exceptionally beautiful and talented kids with a leaning towards British Sci-fi, you treat them right you hear?!

And for any of you unable to have children or struggling with the whole IVF nightmare, I'm sorry and I understand a bit.

Minky
 

[TordelBack]

Wow, there's a situation to make you think.

[Something Fishy]

Really is.

[The Enigmatic Dr X]

I don't know what to post here without sounding pithy, complacent or unsympathetic. Normally I wouldn't post anything to a serious message here, but that is easily construed as indifference and I am quite moved by this. A matter of life and death, indeed.

So, um, best wishes and I'm sure you'll do the right thing. If the alternative is no life at all then there is no doubt in my mind that giving them to a childless couple is a good thing. If the couple wants children as much as you did, then there must be a better than decent chance that they will be loved and cherished, which is really all anyone can hope for.

[Trout]

You, sir, are a fucking saint.

I hope those children find that out one day.

[The Legendary Shark]

You, sir, are a fucking saint.

I hope those children find that out one day.

Couldn't agree more.

[Devons Daddy]

I bow to you.
 

some day they will find you. life will reward you for such an act of beautiful selflessness.

[Roger Godpleton]

Yeah! Oh yeah! Oh life! Oh life!

I'm afraid of the dark
Especially when I'm in a park
And there's no one else around,
Oh I get the shivers.
I don't want to see a ghost,
It's the sight that I fear most
I'd rather have a piece of toast
And watch the evening news.

Chorus:
Life, oh life! Oh life! Oh life! doo,
Doot doot dooo... Life, oh life! Oh life!
Oh life! doo doot doo

I'm a superstitious girl
I'm the worst in the world
Never walk under the ladders,
I keep a rabbit's tail.
I'll take you up on the dare,
Anytime, anywhere;
Name the place,
I'll be there,
Bungee jumping, I don't care!

Chorus
life oh life...

So after all said and done
I know I'm not the only one
Life indeed can be fun,
If you really want to.
Sometimes living out your dreams,
Ain't as easy as it seems
You wanna fly around the world,
In a beautiful balloon.

Chorus (2x)

Doo doot doo doot.
Oh, life, oh life!

[Richmond Clements]

You, sir, are a fucking saint.

I hope those children find that out one day.

Couldn't agree more.

Thirded.

[W. R. Logan]

I hope they're named Joe, Rico, Eustace

[maryanddavid]

Thats a great gift you and your Mrs are giving.

David

[Darren Stephens]

Thats a great gift you and your Mrs are giving.

David

Indeed. That was a very honest and moving post, MinkyBoy.

[Judge von Boom]

What a gift. People like you give us hope for the future.

JvB

[TordelBack]

What a gift. People like you give us hope for the future.

QFT.  I've been thinking about Minky's post all day, it really is the kind of act that makes you feel humanity isn't quite the cesspool you might have suspected it was. 

[Tombo]

Are you people mad!?  Have none of you seen "The Boys from Brazil"?  Minkyboy has clearly arranged this so he can breed his own army of clones as part of his plan for global domination!

Seriously though Kudos to the primate one.  I have a friend who's struggling to have a family, and seeing her suffering is heartbreaking.  You sir are a saint, a mad power hungry saint with dreams of global conquest, but a saint none the less.