How an act of sisterly love created a modern family

When Victorian schoolteacher Penny Hansen received a shock breast cancer diagnosis, her sister stepped up to offer the ultimate gift of becoming a surrogate — and not just once.

Sisters Fiona Davey and Penny Hansen have always been close.

It was no surprise then that when schoolteacher Mrs Hansen received a shock breast cancer diagnosis, her midwife sister was at her side.

When doctors warned it was an aggressive oestrogen-sensitive cancer and pregnancy could risk her life, Mrs Davey offered to be a surrogate to carry a baby for Mrs Hansen and her husband, Leigh.

Uniquely, not once, but now twice.

Penny Hansen with baby William Davey and her sister, and surrogate, Fiona Davey. Picture: Jay Town

Mrs Davey, 47, was a surrogate for William (Will) who was born in December 2019 and again for his little sister, Harper, born in April 2023.

“My decision to become Penny’s surrogate was to avoid her getting sick again because it was an oestrogen-driven cancer which meant if she got pregnant it increased the risk of her getting cancer again,” Mrs Davey said.

“Knowing her and Leigh wanted a family, and as much as I don’t do pregnancy very well, it was a beautiful and amazing thing to be able to do that for someone.”

Mrs Hansen, 40, says her children will know how they came into the world.

“We have a photo book that shows the journey,” she said. “We always intended telling Will, it was just a matter of when he could comprehend some part of it. With Harper, we will do the same.”

Mrs Hansen is now well and medication-free following many months of treatment that included chemotherapy, radiation and a double mastectomy.

There was also a round of IVF and Will and Harper are their parents’ biological children, carried by their aunt.

The sisters call it “babysitting”.

Isaac Davey 10, Bella Davey 15, Leigh Hansen, Penny Hansen, Fiona Davey, Adam Davey and Amelia Davey, 13. Picture: Wayne Taylor

“I was just looking after my sister’s baby until she could look after it,” Mrs Davey said.

It was her idea to be a surrogate the second time around.

“Harper wasn’t planned in my mind because we were really grateful and happy with our little family of three with Will,” Mrs Hansen said.

Mrs Davey said she and husband Adam, her “rock”, wanted Will to have a sibling and discussed the idea with their own children: Isabella, Amelia and Isaac before approaching the Hansens.

“Pregnancy is a very big ordeal to go through for someone else,” Mrs Hansen said. “I don’t think I would have asked Fi to do that again because while she is extraordinarily maternal and very giving, she doesn’t do pregnancy very well. She gets really sick.”

Age had also become an issue.

“I was three years older, I had older children, there was a lot more to contend with,” Mrs Davey said.

Fiona Davey pictured during her first surrogate pregnancy for her sister Penny Hansen. Picture Jay Town

Once more the midwife at Epworth Freemasons put her trust in obstetrician Samantha Hargreaves, who had cared for her through all pregnancies at that very hospital.

And as with Will’s birth, the two couples were together in the delivery room when Harper was born.

“Sam (Dr Hargreaves) was just brilliant; supportive and knowledgeable and in the delivery suite we also had Helen Roberts, a colleague of mine, a truly amazing and wonderful midwife who saw us through both (surrogate) births.

“It felt very comfortable and it was familiar to give birth in the hospital where I worked,” Mrs Davey said.

Now with five children between them, the sisters say they love babysitting for each other at every opportunity.

“It is what sisters do,” they said.