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  • Lori McCann, center, is happy to carry a child for her brother Jason Marler, right, and sister-in-law Jane Marler, left. Rebeka Rutledge/The Duncan Banner

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January 21, 2013

Sister carries child for her sibling brother

Rebeka Rutledge The Duncan Banner

DUNCAN — When couples who can’t have children choose other options such as adoption or surrogacy, their family usually begins to pray and hope for the best and when Lori McCann of Duncan heard her brother and his wife were going to look for a surrogate, she prayed, hoped and went even a step further.

“I told them when they got married three and a half years ago, I would have a baby for them if they wanted me to,” said McCann of her brother, Jason and his wife, Jane Marler.

When Jane was 23, she had a partial hysterectomy, which meant no trying for children the regular way for the couple. At the time of their marriage, the Marlers decided they just wouldn’t have children. However, after a few years in December 2011, they told Jason and Lori’s mother Carolyn Hadley they were going to look into surrogacy.

“When my mom told me they were going to look into getting a surrogate and I called to tell them I was going to have their baby,” McCann said. “It was never a question because God gave me comfort and total peace over it.”

McCann soon went on Weight Watchers to lose weight in order to bring her blood pressure down and the Marlers joined her to show support. Despite many logistics working to keep the chances of it working, with one embryo, one time, the family found out McCann was pregnant at the end of July 2012.

“When the doctor called me I just started crying and I was in the middle of a restaurant,” said Jane. “I called Lori and then I went to tell my husband. It’s amazing; it’s a miracle.”

McCann has two children in their 20s, so she said pregnancy is nothing new to her but is a distant memory. At 44-years-old, she said it has been a normal pregnancy with no mishaps or sickness and baby boy Gunner McCann Marler is expected to make an appearance in early to mid-April.

“They’re going to induce labor about a week early just to make sure (Jason and Jane) can be here,” McCann said. The Marlers live four hours away in Pampa, Texas.

“It’s hard for them to be at all the doctor appointments, so I always put Jane on speaker.”

Though there has been some good-hearted ribbing from other family members about McCann having her brother’s child, they said there has been much support for the situation from family and the two communities they reside in. They said especially having McCann’s husband Danny’s support has meant a lot.

“He’s been wonderful to put up with all of this,” said McCann.

Jason and Jane said they have nothing big enough to do or say to thank McCann for what she is giving to them.

“It’s so far above a thank you, said Jane.

“She is completely selfless,” Jason added.

McCann feels also that these two members of her family have given her something precious. Besides the love she has for them, her brother has always been a role model for her, she said.

“He’s everything in a person that I would want to be and I know he’s going to be the greatest dad ever,” she said.

“Also, their love for each other is obvious and they are so fun together.

They have given me a gift by letting me do this for them.”

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