CANDICE BAILEY
THE Tzaneen woman who made history 24 years ago when her mother carried her triplets in a surrogacy pregnancy for her has died.
Karen Ferreira Jorge, 49, died in the early hours of yesterday, after being admitted to a Tzaneen hospital with a viral infection.
Yesterday, shocked friends and family gathered at the family home in Tzaneen.
Family friend Di Blight said Ferreira Jorge’s four children were on their way back to South Africa and were scheduled to arrive in the Limpopo town today.
Her eldest child, Alcino Junior (named after his father), and two of the triplets, David and Paula, live in Portugal. The third triplet, José, lives in the UK.
Ferreira Jorge and her mother Pat Anthony made international headlines in 1987 when they became the first surrogacy case in South Africa.
Then aged 25, Ferreira Jorge could not conceive another child. She had had a hysterectomy after complications during the birth of her first son, but she wanted more children.
Her mother, 47 at the time, carried the triplets for her.
Four of Ferreira Jorge’s eggs, fertilised in a laboratory, were implanted in Anthony’s uterus through in vitro fertilisation. Three of the eggs developed into embryos.
And on October 1, Paula, José and David were born.
With their birth, Anthony became the first woman to give birth by caesarean section to her own grandchildren and the first surrogate mother to produce in vitro triplets.
As a result of the country’s laws at the time, Anthony was registered as the legal mother of the three and Karen had to adopt them.
At the time, Anthony, explaining her decision, told People magazine: “I think children are part of married life, a vitally important part, and Karen was going to be denied that.
“When I first heard the babies cry, it was just beautiful. I felt like any other happy granny whose daughter had just had a child,” Anthony said.
Yesterday, Facebook pictures told a story of a close-knit family who loved spending time together.
On his Facebook page, José posted: “My dear Mommy, I will miss you so much! I love you.”
Messages of condolence have flooded the social network site. In one message on José Ferreira Jorge’s wall, Clarissa Unterpertinger posted: “José, I’m so sorry for your loss – your mom was an amazing person. She will be greatly missed. My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family.”
A family friend, Peter Habib, told The Star that Ferreira Jorge had a “bubbly personality”. His family have been friendly with the Anthonys for 30 years.
“I knew her as a little girl,” said Habib, adding that even though his family had moved to Joburg, they still kept in touch.
Visiting Tzaneen in November, he had met up with Ferreira Jorge and her husband and had supper with them.
“Karen was healthy and happy. We were taken by surprise by her death.
She was a dedicated mom,” Habib said.