As a pediatric nurse at St. John’s Hospital, Buffy Lael sees the beauty of childbirth daily. It wasn’t surprising that she longed for a baby of her own.
After years of trying — including fertilization treatments — and several miscarriages, it seemed her dream was not to be. But where nature and science let her down, her good friend never would.
Antonea Wolf Lael is now 2 years old. Nea, as she is called, is still too young to understand how she came to be, but her mother is forthcoming in telling the tale of the special role her friend Brenda played.
Around three years ago, Buffy and her husband, John, were out to dinner with Brenda and Scott Wade of Cantrall. The two couples had been friends for years, but it still came as a shock when Brenda offered to serve as a surrogate mother so the Laels could finally have a child.
“I immediately started crying and was in disbelief. It was totally not expected at all,” Buffy said.
