6 hours ago
After five failed rounds of IVF, my partner died. I thought I'd go mad with grief... instead I took the most desperate measure and used his sperm to father the children I longed for: CHARLOTTE CRIPPS
At the time it felt like any other Tuesday morning in our two-bedroom home in Notting Hill, west London, but I can remember it all now with precise vividness.
I was rushing around getting ready for my day's work as a journalist. Alex, my 48-year-old partner of ten years, was sitting on the bed scrolling through emails while our 12-week-old golden retriever puppy chewed on a chair leg. There was a peculiar smell. I was boiling some herbs in a heart-shaped Le Creuset dish on the stove – a special concoction from my Chinese acupuncturist. I was 40 and preparing for another IVF cycle (this would be our sixth attempt – we'd been trying for a baby for three years) and the drink was supposed to improve my fertility.
