When a woman from Oregon was informed she couldn’t carry the pregnancy herself, her twin sister offered to serve as a surrogate. The sister gave birth to twins a few months later. The only way Whitney Bliesner could become a mother, according to her physicians, was through surrogacy, but she never anticipated that her sister would volunteer her womb.
Jill Noe, Whitney’s twin and a former college basketball standout, insisted on continuing. She wished to fulfil her sister’s motherly aspirations. Just days before their shared 35th birthday in June, Noe gave birth to her sister’s own set of twins, a boy and a girl.
Bliesner told CNN station KNXV that it was the finest present she could have ever received.
She was given the advice not to have children after being diagnosed with neurofibromatosis type 2, a rare genetic condition that causes benign tumours in her nervous system. But she admitted that she was certain that she wanted children, particularly in light of how close she was to her sister.
During the sisters’ annual stocking-stuffing night in Portland, Oregon, in December 2017, Noe, a former shooting guard for the women’s basketball team at Arizona State University, blurted out the offer.
A hospital in Portland welcomed Renley and Rhett by caesarean section more than one and a half years later, with their delighted mother at her side. The sisters have a history of standing by one another when things are tough. Noe missed two seasons of play due to an ACL injury in her knee before making a comeback in 2005.
According to Bliesner, who spoke to CNN at the time, she was undergoing one of the six brain surgeries necessary for her condition. She and her spouse now alternate sleeping shifts and share parental responsibilities. When they are older, she will tell them about their aunt Jill, the woman who assisted in their conception.
It isn’t blood, It’s about looking after your children and providing them with security, love, and support, she said.