BEST mates who got hitched after one had a sex change to become a man welcome their first baby boy.
When Toni Harper, 22, met Sean Horton, 26, he was a pretty blonde girl called Sian.
As teenagers, the pair became inseparable best friends and Sean confided in Toni after years of torment about his gender and sexuality.
Sean started hormone treatment and Toni gradually fell in love him as his voice deepened and he grew facial hair.
They decided to start a family with a help of a sperm donor and put the seal on their relationship by getting married in March.
Toni has now given birth to their adorable son Romany Martin and they say their family is now complete.
"It is everything we have always wanted," she said. "I love being a mum, although it took a lot to sink in at first."
Proud Sean added: "We always wanted it but we didn't think it would happen."
The couple, from Knowle, Bristol, were at different schools growing up and met through friends.
Their relationship blossomed after they began chatting on MSN Messenger every day after school.
And as they became close Sean told Toni about wanting to be a man before he revealed his feelings to his mum Heather, 51.
Heather said: "I cuddled him and he said to me 'you don't understand, I'm a man'.
"Later he just came out and said it – he wanted a sex change.
"I said 'whatever you want, we will be there for you'."
Sean's family approached his GP and he was referred to London's Gender Identity Clinic.
After months of sessions with a psychiatrist to confirm he was making the right decision, he began hormone treatment at the age of 20.
A couple of years later, after the pair had drifted apart, Sean met Toni again and they realised their feelings for each other were stronger than ever.
Toni, who works at Marks and Spencer, said: "It felt weird at first, but we started seeing each other more and more until we started going out and growing closer and closer.
"When Sean first told me, I asked him how that could be possible.
It was so difficult, but I knew what was going on deep inside."
Sean had a full mastectomy and a year later began genital surgery– a series of four operations including one where medics took skin from his arm.
The couple had artificial insemination treatment with donor sperm and spent £8,000 at a private clinic on three unsuccessful attempts.
They planned their wedding some time ago but put it on hold after Sean's dad Martin was diagnosed with cancer.
On the day Martin died they got the news they could have further insemination treatment, this time on the NHS, and it worked at the first attempt.
"We did a pregnancy test in the morning and we just left it on the kitchen side because obviously we were just used to having negative all the time," said Toni.
"We went back five minute later to check it and it said 'pregnant' and we couldn't believe it."
They tied the knot on March 28 after winning a £12,000 wedding with local paper The Bristol Post.
Follow Me On Twitter & Instagram: @effiongeton
No comments:
Post a Comment