A woman has revealed how she gave birth to her husband’s baby two years after he passed away through using his frozen sperm.
Charlotte Eiler says her son, Elijah, is her late partner’s “twin”.
The 34-year-old was left heartbroken when Sam, 31, discovered a cancerous lump on his neck, which sadly spread to multiple organs.
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Before passing away, the pair agreed to freeze his sperm in case treatment affected his fertility.
The former yoga teacher went through three embryo transfers until she fell pregnant, and says little Elijah, now one, makes her feel like Sam is still around.
“Sometimes when I look at Elijah when he’s playing alone and laughs,” Charlotte told Need To Know.
“It’s like Sam is there.
“I gave birth to our baby boy at home.
“I had pictures of Sam all around me, and I felt him there.
“I don’t think I could have done it without him.
“Knowing that I’d have a piece of Sam in my arms again was worth every minute of going through it on my own.”
Charlotte, from Gothenburg, Sweden, recorded her late husband’s voice and regularly plays it for Elijah to help create a bond.
He’s started to say “dad” whenever he sees a photo of Sam.
The recording also brings back happy memories of when the pair met at a house party.
She said: “Sam had just been travelling and ended up coming to Sweden, where he had a few friends.
“He decided to stay and started working at a gym.
“We had an instant connection; he was completely different from anyone I’d met before.
“Not only was he absolutely gorgeous, he was charming, charismatic and very down to earth.
“His Australian accent made it impossible for me not to fall head over heels in love with him, and fast.
“It didn’t take long until we knew we were each other’s perfect partner.”
Charlotte and Sam lived an active and exciting life together, commuting between different countries and working hard to support their lifestyle.
She said, “Sam was all about adventure, anything involving a board of any kind or skis, and he was down for it.
“He wanted to see the world and always had a new dream destination in mind.
“Sam loved a social setting, and he could make a connection with anyone.
“I don’t know anyone with as many friends as Sam.
“He was a physiotherapist and worked for the Swedish alpine team.
“He was over the moon about the job and only started a couple of months before his diagnosis.”
The couple became engaged in July 2020 – but a few months later, Sam discovered the aforementioned lump on his neck.
Charlotte said, “There are many unknowns regarding Sam’s cancer.
“In rare cases, it’s not possible to determine where the illness had started; his was one of them.
“At the time of diagnosis, it had spread to multiple organs.
“We knew from the start that it was serious, so we decided we didn’t want to hear the prognosis.
“We knew we had a journey ahead, and we didn’t want anyone to tell us how long Sam had left.
“We were going to get through it. There are so many stories out there of people who healed the seemingly impossible; we believed Sam was going to be one of them.
“He cared about our future, and he knew we wanted a family.
“We spoke frequently about our future children, including picking out names and how we wanted to raise them.”
The couple got married by the sea in January 2021, and in April 2022, he sadly passed away at home.
Charlotte said, “It’s still completely surreal to me that he isn’t here.
“He is loved and missed by so many.
“But soon after he passed away, I knew I wanted to make our dream of a family come true.
“I also knew I needed a lot of time to get myself ready for that journey.”
Charlotte started IVF treatment in the autumn of 2022 and, on her third attempt, in April 2023, fell pregnant.
She said: “I’ll never forget the nurse on the other end of the phone saying ‘well done, you’re pregnant’.
“I was in shock, I could barely get a word out.
“It was the first time since Sam had passed away that I felt joy again.
“I had had two unsuccessful embryo transfers, so I had little confidence it was going to work.
“I decided this third time would be the last before taking a break from IVF.
“Going through pregnancy was hard – you need your person.
“But I felt Sam closely, though, and he motivated me to find strength physically and emotionally.”
“I thought we’d have a girl, and once I found out it was a boy, I thought Sam had sent me another little man to fall head over heels in love with, just like I did with him.”
She welcomed Elijah in April 2024.
She said, “I broke down in tears as soon as I got to hold Elijah for the first time.
“We formed such a strong bond straight away.”
Right now, she’s basking in motherhood, but grieves that she and Sam aren’t taking on this next chapter together.
She added, “Sam loved babies, and he would never hesitate to pick up his mates’ or sisters’ kids.
“He was a natural.
“I think he would’ve been such a funny and loving dad.
“I know he’d be surfing or taking Elijah adventuring in the snow at this very minute if he could – they would’ve been best friends.
“Not being able to witness Sam as a dad adds a whole new layer to my grief.
“I’m grieving for him and everything he is missing.
“I do strongly believe, though, that he is always right here beside us.”
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