Berks County couple gets double dose of parenthood thanks to friend
BERKS COUNTY, Pa. (CBS) -- A double dose of parenthood for a Berks County couple. They have two biological sons who are just five weeks apart and they're not twins.
So how did it happen?
The parents have a lot of explaining to do and they're happy to tell the story. They struggled with infertility for years and then fate and a best friend changed everything.
Leo and J.J. are biological brothers born just five weeks apart
"I thought no way, no way can this be true," Chelsey Korhonen, the mother, said.
The dream of parenthood had been illusive for Chelsey and Greg Korhonen
She had a miscarriage, and surgeries to repair uterine scar tissue.
"There was a lot of heartbreak and a lot of pain before we got here," Chelsey Korhonen said.
When doctors told Chelsey Korhonen she probably wouldn't be able to carry a pregnancy, her best friend Brittany offered.
"We can use another uterus and transfer the embryo into that uterus," Dr. Brianna Schumacher, a fertility specialist at Shady Grove Fertility, said.
Schumacher says Brittany was what's called the "gestational carrier" for J.J.
"It takes a very special person to do what she did for us," Chelsey Korhonen said.
And then when Brittany was pregnant with J.J., against all odds Chelsey Korhonen got pregnant naturally.
"It was shocking and surprising," Greg Korhonen said.
Research shows 10 to 30% of women who fail fertility treatments end up getting pregnant on their own.
"We just did not anticipate that Chelsey was going to be able to get pregnant on her own," Schumacher said. "It was an overwhelming positive surprise; it was like one of the best things."
J.J. was born Jan 5 and Chelsey Korhonen had Leo on Feb 12.
"I feel so, so grateful to be where we are," Chelsey Korhonen said.
Back at Shady Grove, the fertility team got to meet the babies.
"It's the best part of the job, getting to see the families come together," Schumacher said.
It's an unlikely journey, made possible through friendship, science and old fashioned luck.
