My name is Morgaine or Mogs for short, I am 31 years old, and I am reaching out in the hope of achieving my dream of becoming a parent—a dream that has become incredibly challenging due to my medical history.

I was diagnosed with an aggressive form of Crohn’s Disease at just six years old. Growing up, I endured constant pain and frequent hospitalisations, which made school extremely difficult. By age 16, despite multiple medical interventions, I weighed just 28 kilos and had a PEG tube fitted to help me survive.

In January 2011, I collapsed at school and was rushed to the hospital with multiple organ failure, end-stage sepsis, and peritonitis caused by a perforation in my large intestine. I underwent a 10-hour surgery, during which a colostomy was fitted, and I was ventilated and kept in a medically induced coma for three days. The surgeons warned my family that survival was unlikely.

I was transferred to a London hospital, where I stayed for six months. I began in High Dependency, moved back to Intensive Care, and eventually to the adolescent ward once stable. During this time, I was paralysed from the waist down due to my stomach muscles being cut, and an abdominal wound became infected, requiring a vacuum dressing to heal from the inside out. Visits from my mum, dad, friends, and heartfelt cards from my grandma helped me through this incredibly isolating period. I was unable to sit my GCSEs and received predicted grades instead.

In 2018, after moving to Scotland, I developed an abscess behind my stoma causing a fistula. I underwent another major surgery to remove 5 cm of colon and re-site the stoma. This 10-hour procedure involved carefully removing scar tissue from my intestine, and I woke up with deep tension sutures to repair my stomach muscles, a re-sited stoma, and a large hole where my stoma had been. While in Scotland, I endured an abusive relationship that resulted in a head injury.

I returned to the South in 2019, and in 2020, I was hospitalised again after perforating my large intestine—this time during COVID, with no family able to be with me. Emergency surgery was required to remove my large intestine to prevent further complications. I was warned that a total hysterectomy was likely, but thankfully only one ovary was removed.

Due to multiple surgeries and extensive scar tissue, I am now medically infertile. I attempted IVF on the NHS in 2022, but it was unsuccessful. I have also been diagnosed with Stage 4 endometriosis and PCOS. Recent MRIs show my remaining ovary is stuck to my uterus, and my uterus is adhered to my rectal stump. Surgical intervention is no longer an option, as further surgery would likely result in a total hysterectomy and removal of the rectal stump. Endometriosis is progressing rapidly, meaning my time to conceive via IVF is extremely limited.

Despite the current continuous pain and fatigue, I still continue to work. I currently work as a Medical Advisor for the emergency services, having previously worked in Patient Transport. I hope to balance my career and health to give myself the best chance of trying for a family. My hope is that either IVF will succeed, or that I can pursue surrogacy—a process that is complicated, expensive, and difficult to navigate.

I am sharing my story to ask for support to help me achieve my dream of becoming a parent. Any contribution, no matter how small, would mean the world to me and bring me closer to building a family despite the medical challenges I have faced. Thank you for taking the time to read my story and for any support you can provide.