Wednesday 10 April 2013

A true great Briton

This week, we lost a great Briton. A true pioneer, who faced controversy as he pushed the boundaries of what was possible, and changed the world. And no, I'm not talking about Margaret Thatcher. I'm a Scot. That should tell you all you need to know about where I stand on our former Prime Minister. No, this week, I am mourning someone who truly changed the world, a man without whom, some 4 million babies wouldn't have been born. Including three who were born to me.
Professor Sir Robert Edwards was born to a working class family in a small Yorkshire town, after serving in the army, he entered a career in science. A career choice that would change the world for so many of us. It certainly did for me. Sir Bob Edwards developed a method of creating life outside the womb. In vitro fertilisation. IVF. Some called his work barbaric, protested his subsequent knighthood, but to me and so many others, he was a hero.
When you are first told you may struggle to conceive, it's like a blow to the head. I took that hit young, at about 17, when my wildly erratic periods revealed a problem. I was diagnosed with Polycystic ovaries, but I just accepted a prescription for the Pill and got on with my youth. It would all work out. It was only a possible problem... Marriage and a year of trying would make the problem very real. I couldn't get pregnant. But to my eternal gratitude, someone had me covered. Sir Bob had it covered.
OK, so the hormones sucked and the innumerable blood tests left me feeling like a pin cushion, but it worked. It worked very very well. My first go at Sir Bob's IVF gave me two beautiful girls. And being pregnant with the twins somehow kick-started my confused ovaries so effectively that, less than two years later, along came a third young lady. My girls. My life. All three thanks to the genius and hard work of Professor Robert Edwards.
So it was with great sadness that I read that this week, at the age of 87, he had slipped away in his sleep. But it was at least a fittingly long and happy life for a man who brought happiness to so many.
Thank you Sir Bob. You changed my life and made my dreams come true. You were a true great. Rest in peace.
Thank you for this Sir Bob

9 comments:

  1. Couldn't agree more with your lovely blog. My wife & I have a beautiful 5yr old daughter, thanks to Sir Bob's pioneering work. we have the most precious gift to thank him for. A great man who I hope one day to tell my girl about.
    Your beautiful girls and you look so happy x

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    1. Thank you for your lovely reply. Hard to put into words that gratitude when you have an IVF child. A truly great man x

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  2. Thank you. He was an amazing man who will leave an amazing legacy. A true hero x

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  3. Lovely post, very well said.

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  4. What a great homage to a great man! Love the photo of you with your pretty girlies.

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  5. What a great post and I absolutely concur with everything you have said about Robert Edwards. It's not often that someone comes along who completely changes the face of the world. Thank you so much for linking this up to PoCoLo - and for your support xx

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  6. What a lovely post. I didn't know that this man was the person who developed IVF, but I realise that his work has changed peoples lives and given them a true gift that many of us take for granted. #PoCoLo

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  7. What a lovely tribute! many take the gift of life for granted and i know i have in the past. I am so pleased that you got this gift and you got to have a family xx

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