Labour of Love
Page 31
I know there’ll be many years between me writing this letter and you actually reading it, but as your birth mother, I’d like to tell you one last thing: I want you to seek out your dreams, Elsie, just as I did, and never let them go, for you are deserving of them all. I believe you are here for a reason; against many odds you came to be through me, and I’m so thankful for that achievement.
Dream big, for the future is bright, Elsie.
I love you always.
Your birth mother,
Shannon
‘Give love and unconditional acceptance to those you encounter, and notice what happens.’
Dr Wayne Dyer
Acknowledgements
I do believe that writing a book is very much like growing and birthing a beautiful baby—both require patience, energy, time and lots of love. This book may not have been born if not for the following people.
Firstly to my agent, Selwa Anthony, thank you for taking a chance. Your positivity and professionalism is a shining light, and Linda, thank you for handling my many emails with grace.
To Daniel Ruffino and the team at Simon & Schuster Australia. Your unwavering belief in Aussie writers with a story to tell is truly extraordinary. Larissa Edwards, Roberta Ivers, Anna O’Grady, and my brilliant editor and polisher, Clara Finlay – you are all part of a wonderful team, thank you for bringing my memoir to life.
My mentor(s) Jenn J McLeod (this includes you too, Jeannette), I can never thank you both enough. You have changed my life and helped me to realise a dream that was tucked away inside me. Thank you for your time, support, guidance, help, cups of tea, red pen scratchings and most of all your friendship. I’m so very blessed to have met you both.
A big thank you to the lovely people in my extended writers’ group, a talented bunch of friends who took me under their wing a few years ago and encouraged me until I was full to the top with self-belief: Jenn and Jeannette, Fiona McArthur, Annie Seaton, Marie Miller, Di Curran, Anna Romer, Karly Lane, Bronwyn Parry and Greg Barron. (I cannot forget you, Greg.) It’s been a great ride and I thank each and every one of you for your enthusiasm, expertise and, of course, the laughs.
To the Writers’ Studio in Sydney – Roland Fishman and Kathleen Allen – your dedication to all your writers is unsurpassed. I started writing because of your courses.
A special thanks to author and friend Karen M. Davis. You know you changed absolutely everything for me and I will never be able to repay you.
To Fiona McIntosh, thank you for the passion you express so willingly for the craft of writing. Your ‘can do’ attitude rubbed off and fiction will be my next calling. To ‘The Blood Moon Masterclass’, you know who you are and I’m forever grateful for the five sunny days we spent together at the Botanic Gardens in Adelaide. I did it, guys, and you can too. Go and chase your writing dreams.
Thank you to Kim Smailes, your knowledge of Chinese medicine and acupuncture is remarkable. The care that you gave me and continue to give me is accepted with undying gratitude – you are the summer breeze. To Pam, thank you for fostering my strength and helping me to grow. The glow that comes from within you is so bright.
To Marg, your vision for women in birth is truly inspiring. You have helped so many and for that you should be very proud. Thank you for having my back!
To all the supportive women on the surrogacy forum, of which I am a member. Without the honesty, advice and friendship you bring to the conversations the road would be a lot harder for many women pursuing surrogacy in this country. I value each and every one of you and your experiences.
To my family and friends, thank you for your support, encouragement and the love you give me every single day. Mum and Kay, your gift of time over the years has not gone unnoticed and it inched me closer to a completed manuscript. You also gave of your precious time to read my work and I appreciate that more than you know. That includes you too, Stacey and Tenille. Without your feedback I wouldn’t have grown. Racho, Rach, Kylie and Gabby, thank you for pushing me towards my dreams. You know I love you girls.
To Jon, Justin and Elsie, thank you from the bottom of my heart. Our relationship means the world to me and seeing you alongside my family – all of us united as one – makes my heart sing in ways I never knew it could. Your family and friends have embraced us and we cherish them all.
My children, Jaxon and Keira, you challenge me, love me and stand beside me. Not a day goes by where I don’t appreciate you both and the ways you have changed my world.
Finally, my husband Andrew, thank you for your patience, love and willingness to come on the journey of surrogacy with me . . . Oh, and also the journey of writing. You are my partner in life and I look forward to the years that will unfold before us and the possibilities they will bring.
Shannon Garner
2016
Further information
Surrogacy Australia: www.surrogacyaustralia.org
Surrogacy Australia supports Australians who are planning on becoming, or who are already, parents via surrogacy arrangements. They are an incorporated not-for-profit association, registered with Consumer Affairs Victoria. General information on altruistic and commercial surrogacy, useful groups and upcoming information on social events are open to all.
Gay Dads Australia: www.gaydadsaustralia.com
Gay Dads Australia is an online resource for gay dads and those who are thinking of becoming dads. This online guide to the issue of Surrogacy for Gay Men is designed to provide information based on the experience of many gay men and couples who have created their families via surrogacy.
Families Through Surrogacy: www.familiesthrusurrogacy.com
Families Through Surrogacy run best-practice conferences focused on bringing together intended parents, families through surrogacy and experts in the field. This is supported by website resources, closed Facebook groups (only for parents and surrogates), expert webinars and quarterly e-newsletters.
Their mission is to focus on parents, surrogates and childrens’ own experiences and stories. They cover not just expensive US options, but independent surrogacy and affordable international surrogacy.
Australian Calmbirth® developed by Peter Jackson: www.calmbirth.com.au
Calmbirth® teaches pregnant mothers, fathers or birthing companions the skills to accomplish such an experience. Calmbirth® encourages mothers to surrender to the process of their labour and birth no matter how it unfolds. If, for some reason, intervention is needed couples can use the skills learnt in the Calmbirth® classes to meet any challenge they encounter calmly and without fear.
NZ-Surrogacy: www.nz-surrogacy.com
This is a fun and friendly online support group for New Zealanders who are interested in surrogacy, egg donation, sperm donation, adoption, IVF and all of those issues that go with infertility.
About Shannon Garner
Photograph © Shannon Garner
Shannon Garner lives in an idyllic coastal town in northern New South Wales with her husband and two children. When she’s not at the beach with her family, she’s writing, reading a good book, planning her next overseas adventure, or helping women online who are embarking on their own surrogacy journeys.
MEET THE AUTHORS, WATCH VIDEOS AND MORE AT
SimonandSchuster.com.au
Authors.SimonandSchuster.com.au/Shannon-Garner
LABOUR OF LOVE: A STORY OF GENEROSITY, HOPE AND SURROGACY
First published in Australia in 2016 by
Simon & Schuster (Australia) Pty Limited
Suite 19A, Level 1, Building C,
450 Miller Street, Cammeray, NSW 2062
A CBS Company
Sydney New York London Toronto New Delhi
Visit our website at www.simonandschuster.com.au
© Shannon Garner 2016
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior permissio
n of the publisher.
National Library of Australia Cataloguing-in-Publication entry
Creator: Garner, Shannon, author.
Title: Labour of love/Shannon Garner.
ISBN: 9781925368604 (paperback)
9781925368611 (ebook)
Subjects: Garner, Shannon.
Surrogate mothers – Biography.
Surrogate motherhood – Biography.
Dewey Number: 306.8743
Cover design: Alissa Dinallo
Cover image © Lyss/www.lyssandhercamera.com
Typeset by Midland Typesetters, Australia