Wednesday, June 20, 2012
It has been announced that the mother of the world's first test-tube baby, Louise Brown, has died in Bristol, England at the age of 64. Lesley Brown, from Whitchurch, became a worldwide name overnight in 1978 when her daughter was born in Oldham General Hospital, Lancashire.
Lesley and her late husband John, who passed away 5 years ago, had been trying to conceive naturally for more than 9 years, before pioneering treatment to help her conceive, lead to her giving birth just a year later. The two doctors who lead the work into IVF (In-vitro fertilization), Professor Robert Edwards and Dr. Patrick Steptoe, subsequently founded the Bourn Hall fertility clinic in Cambridgeshire just 2 years after Louise's birth.
On Prof. Edward's behalf, the Clinic's chief executive, Mike Macamee made the following statement: "Lesley was a devoted mum and grandmother and through her bravery and determination many millions of women have been given the chance to become mothers. She was a lovely, gentle lady and we will all remember her with deep affection."
Her daughter Louise described her as "...a very quiet and private person who ended up in the world spotlight because she wanted a family so much."
Her death occurred June 6th 2012, but was only announced this evening. A private funeral took place for her Wednesday morning in Bristol.
Mrs Brown leaves behind two daughters, Louise and Natalie, both of whom were born following IVF treatment, as well as her stepdaughter, Sharon and five grandchildren.
No comments:
Post a Comment