A woman replaces her twin sister who can not be pregnant because of NF2

Whitney Bliesner thought that she could never start a family. She suffers from a rare genetic disease that makes pregnancy too risky and could not afford an adoption or surrogacy.

But everything changed when her twin sister, Arizona State University's former basketball player, Jill Noe, intervened.

Noe is now 29 weeks pregnant with Bliesner's twins.

Bliesner, 34, has NF2 (neurofibromatosis type 2), a rare hereditary disease that makes a person susceptible to benign tumors that form along the nerves of the brain, spinal cord and other parts of the body. body.

The sisters, who live near Portland, Oregon, have always been close.

The illness made him lose sight of his left eye, hearing in his right ear and partial hearing loss in his left ear. She underwent a partial hysterectomy for fibroids, knowing that wearing her own children could worsen her condition and that it was possible to transmit the disorder to her offspring.

"I was trying to convince myself that I could not have children because I had no way to afford an adoption," she told TODAY's. "I married a wonderful man almost three years ago, and once I got married, I wanted to start a family, which is why I decided to Examine all my options and see how I could get there. "

A doctor told Bliesner that she could use a donor egg with her husband's sperm, but she still could not afford the cost of a surrogate mother. It is at this moment that her twin sister has advanced.

That happened during a conversation that turned life upside down in December 2017. "I was talking to my sister while we were preparing our annual Christmas stockings and she told me that I was not going to be there. she would wear for me, "recalls Bliesner.

Noe said TODAY that the decision to replace his sister was a no-brainer.

"She has always wanted to be a mother and her illness has already hurt her so much, I would not allow (NF2) to take this opportunity from her too, she is my best friend and I know that She would have done the same thing for me, I really had not thought much about becoming a surrogate mother, it just seemed like the right thing to do, our family is so strong and supportive well, especially since Whit's diagnosis in Grade 8. "

After an IVF failure, the pregnancy took. Since they've transferred two embryos, Bliesner was not totally shocked to learn that his sister was carrying twins, but she was extremely happy.

"I'm excited about having twins because I'm twin and I know what kind of bond my sister and I have, so I wanted my children to benefit and live in life." with a best friend with whom they came into the world, just like me and Jill, "she says.

The twins must arrive on June 6th via a caesarean section. Bliesner and her husband, Pete, have already chosen the names of their boy and their daughter: Rhett and Rhenley.

Noe says that since she is not yet ready to start a family, she will consider freezing her eggs for the time being. "My ultimate goal is to have children in two or three years so that my children can grow up with those of Whit," she said.

Bliesner says the pregnancy has brought her even closer to her sister.

"Jill has been amazing throughout this process, she let me ask her all these strange questions, she let me touch her belly, and it 's amazing because that' s it. is as close as possible to the babies being in me. "