CANCER SURVIVOR JOANNE'S PLEA FOR SURROGATE MUM; Woman, 29, in TV appeal after womb op.

Byline: BY DEMELZA de BURCA

A CANCER survivor who cannot have children made a desperate TV appeal yesterday for a surrogate mum.

Joanne Brennan had always wanted a big family but her dreams were dashed when she was diagnosed with womb cancer more than three years ago. She said: "I was trying for a baby for about a year and then I went to the doctor and she sent me to hospital.

"They kept me in overnight and the next day the doctor told me he had found a shadow on my womb he wanted to investigate.

"I had been going for smears but the cancer I had was so rare it hadn't been picked up the smear tests." At just 29, Joanne was then forced to have a hysterectomy to save her life.

She added: "It's devastating to know that you will never be able to have your own children."

Dubliner Joanne told TV3's Midday chatshow that her fiance John was also heartbroken but they learned to cope with it together.

She said a nurse was the first to tell her about surrogacy but she has only been looking into the matter in the last few weeks. She added: "We are opting first for surrogacy over adoption because you use your own eggs and John's sperm and it would be genetically our child but growing inside another woman.

"I want to do this before time runs out."

Dr David Walsh, of the SIMS Fertility Clinic in Dundrum, Dublin said because Joanne's ovaries were left in place "she has the potential not just to be a commissioning mother but also a genetic parent".

However, he pointed out that surrogacy is an unsettled area of Irish law and there is a chance - less than one per cent - that the donor could change her mind and keep the baby.

Surrogate mums are often a sister or a friend but there is no reason why a stranger can't do it.

Joanne urged anyone interested in helping her to become a mum to contact the SIMS clinic.

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SEARCH Joanne Brennan on TV3's Midday Picture TV3