These days, surrogacy is a common option for mom and dads-to-be everywhere. Most often though, it's used by couples who are struggling with infertility, but desperately want to have kids of their own.
That's why I couldn't help but be shocked when I heard the story of Susan Ring, a gestational carrier who was left to raise twins after their biological parents suddenly decided they didn't want them anymore. Can you believe that?!
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According to the Huffington Post, Ring, who has been a gestation carrier for over a decade, had birthed a son for the couple before. So when they once again asked her to be a surrogate mother, she didn't think she had anything to worry about. "There was no reason to think that anything could go wrong, because the first time was so brilliantly wonderful," she said.
After undergoing the necessary procedures, she got pregnant–this time with twins. But what should've been a happy time quickly turned dark when Ring found out the couple was divorcing and no longer wanted the babies. At the time, Ring was already 14 weeks along. I can't even begin to wrap my mind around that … seriously, what kind of people just abandon their own children like that? They're babies, not toys you can pick up and throw out when you lose interest.
Ring was–understandably–left stunned and confused. "It was perplexing because the question I kept asking was 'Why? How can this possibly happen?' " she told Huffington Post. "I mean, it just doesn't make sense–they go to these extremes to have children, and then all of a sudden they just don't want to carry on with the pregnancy."
Though Ring tried to convince them otherwise, she was unable to change their minds. So she made a brave choice–she took them home and took care of the twins herself. "I ended up taking them home with me because I just didn't have the heart to put them into social services," she explained. She named them (using her last name) and three months later, she was legally awarded parentage.
Though Ring says it's been a struggle financially (the biological parents of the babies were put on a payment plan by the agency and never had to pay in full) to raise the twins along with her own kids, she also states "it was well worth it in the end."
Is that a crazy story or what?! Though I'll never understand how those parents could just ditch their own kids like that–and leave a pregnant woman who was doing them a service to fend for herself in the process–I'm in total awe of Ring and her absolutely incredible decision. Many women wouldn't have made the courageous choice to raise those kids on her own, but she did and I can't applaud her enough for taking the harder (but ultimately more rewarding) route. She's truly an inspiration and I think those kids should consider themselves lucky to have been gifted with such an amazing and caring mom!
Hear more of her Ring's story below:
Image via Thinkstock
