It might seem impossible to think that a baby born after parents die could survive. But a baby boy in China has, thanks to surrogacy, as well as the unwavering devotion of his grandparents.
Baby born after parents die is the fulfillment of a long-held dream
When Shen Jie and Liu Xi of Jiangsu, China were still alive, they always dreamed of having a child. So they had several embryos frozen with the intent of going through the process of in vitro fertilisation (IVF).
But sadly in 2013, the young couple died in a car crash. After their untimely demise, their parents decided not to let their children’s dream of being a mum and dad die with them.
They also saw the embryos as a way to preserve their family line. And so began a legal battle to gain the rights over the embryos.
“[The embryos] are the only carriers of the two families’ bloodlines, and they carry the memories of their parents and can provide emotional consolation to them”
Baby born after parents die in car crash four years ago just turned 100 days old! | Screenshot: BBC News
Eventually, the parents were given custody of the embryos, considering that “the embryos left by Shen and Liu are the only carriers of the two families’ bloodlines, and they carry the memories of their parents and can provide emotional consolation to them.”
In 2014, they started to work on a way to get the untransplanted embryos after learning that it could only be transferred from hospital to hospital.
What’s more, surrogacy is not legal in China. So they had to find other alternatives. Two years later, they found an agency in Laos where commercial surrogacy is legal. After they sifted through 20 candidates over the course of a few years, they chose one surrogate mother.
Baby born after parents die is now happily in the care of his four loving grandparents | Screenshot: BBC News
On the 9th of December 2017, the surrogate mum gave birth in China. Since she was of Laotian citizenship, the grandparents had to prove that the baby was their grandson through blood and DNA tests.
After years of waiting and fighting, they finally became grandparents. They named the baby boy Tiantian, which means sweetness, hoping that his arrival would bring joy to both their families after the bitter fate their children suffered.
Sources: The Straits Times, BBC News