Ad in gym finds egg donor for Rotorua woman

Rotorua mother-to-be Terri Robson doesn't know of a greater gift than the one she has received - the gift of life.
The 43-year-old is 14 weeks pregnant thanks to Rotorua egg donor Alana Collins.
Mrs Robson and her husband, Darrell, had been married for almost 13 years when they decided they wanted to have children. They had been trying to conceive naturally for about six months when they decided to try fertility treatment because time was against them.
Mrs Robson had one cycle using her own eggs and her husband's sperm but it was unsuccessful.
"We were pretty gutted," she said.
Their doctor at Fertility Associates in Hamilton told the couple their best chance was probably to use a donor egg.
Couples or single women can go on a waiting list and often wait for up to two years to find an egg donor unless they find one themselves - which is what the Robsons decided to do.
Mrs Robson put an ad in a local gym which Miss Collins saw within a matter of days.
Miss Collins, who has two young sons, had previously thought about being an egg donor after seeing friends who had trouble conceiving go through fertility treatment.
"I knew if I was going to do it I thought it would be now or never," she said.
Miss Collins said she had no idea who had written the ad. Meanwhile, she had made plans to catch up with Mrs Robson, a former colleague. It was when they met and Mrs Robson started sharing about her fertility treatment and the need to find an egg donor that Miss Collins realised it was Mrs Robson who had put up the advert at the gym.
"When Terri said it was her ad it made my mind up," Miss Collins said.
Miss Collins had fertility treatment and the doctors took five eggs, two of which fertilised to an embryo which could be implanted.
One of the embryos was frozen, and Mrs Robson had the other embryo implanted but she did not get pregnant. However, two months later she had the other embryo implanted and more than four weeks later she found out she was pregnant. The Robsons have spent thousands of dollars on trying to have a baby but they say it is a small price to pay.
Mrs Robson said the time waiting to find out if she was pregnant was frustrating but she was so excited when she found out she was having a baby.
She had "huge admiration" for what Miss Collins had done for her.
"I can't think of any greater gift that someone could give someone."
Mrs Robson and Miss Collins want to share their story in the hope it will encourage other women to become egg donors. They say they are happy to talk to others about what they have been through.
While once just colleagues, Ms Robson and Miss Collins are now very close as a result of what they have been through.
The Robsons are planning for Miss Collins to be a big part of their child's life.
When asked how she felt about the egg not being hers, Mrs Robson said it was something she had thought of but it wouldn't make her love the child any less.
The baby is due on December 6 and the Robsons can't wait.
"I'm extremely excited about that day ... Just the bond and the love we both have got to give the child, just the joy it is going to bring to the extended family as well."