A Unique Family Legacy: How a Twin Sister’s Surrogate Pregnancy—and a Life-Saving Medical Discovery—Created Baby Gali

Talk about a family affair in the truest and most profound sense of the phrase.

When Australian resident Ellie Freeman agreed to act as a surrogate for her gay twin brother, Adam Braitberg, and his husband, Omer Kuchman, she set into motion a remarkable journey of medical coincidence, familial devotion, and ultimately, new life. The resulting baby girl, named Gali, is not only a symbol of modern family planning but also a unique biological puzzle: she possesses genetic ties to all four adults involved in her creation, making her connection to her extended family exceptionally close.

"It was a beautiful birth," Ellie, who already shares three children with her husband, told ABCNews in Australia, reflecting on the delivery day. "To have my husband by my side was the most important thing for me."

The story of baby Gali begins long before her arrival, rooted in the tight-knit bond shared by Adam and his twin sister Ellie. Growing up in a suburban Melbourne household alongside their parents and two other sisters, Adam and Ellie maintained a close relationship that persisted well into their adult lives. When Adam and his Israeli husband, Omer Kuchman, reached a point in their lives where they felt ready to start a family of their own, they turned to the people they trusted most. Adam’s sisters immediately stepped up to offer their assistance in making parenthood a reality for the couple.

"Our elder sister, Jess, offered to be a surrogate mom first and said she’d also be happy to be an egg donor," Ellie explained. However, navigating the legal and medical frameworks governing surrogacy presented specific parameters. "Under Australian law, you can’t be both, so it worked out that my sister was happy to be the egg donor and I was happy to be a surrogate."

This division of roles meant that Jess would provide the genetic material via her eggs, which would be fertilized using sperm from Adam. Meanwhile, Ellie would carry the pregnancy to term, and Omer—Adam’s husband—would complete the familial circle. Consequently, newborn Gali shares genetic ties with her biological fathers, her surrogate mother, and her egg donor aunt, weaving a tight web of shared ancestry across the family tree.

However, the path to Gali’s birth was far from straightforward. Before the surrogacy process could officially begin, the participants were required to undergo standard, routine medical screenings and blood tests. Those routine diagnostics ultimately triggered a sequence of events that would change the family’s lives in ways they never could have anticipated.

During the pre-surrogacy evaluations, Ellie’s husband, Dr. Elliot Freeman—who works as a gastroenterologist—noticed that his wife’s iron levels were unusually low. Recognizing that persistent iron deficiency can sometimes point to underlying gastrointestinal issues, he strongly urged Ellie to undergo a colonoscopy to investigate the root cause.

Following her husband’s medical advice, Ellie underwent the procedure. Doctors discovered and successfully removed 21 polyps. Because certain types of intestinal polyps and related gastrointestinal conditions can run in families and carry hereditary risks, the medical team strongly recommended that Ellie’s siblings undergo screening as well, just as a precautionary measure.

Adam followed the medical advice and scheduled his own diagnostic procedure. The results brought devastating news that stopped the family in its tracks: doctors discovered a 10-centimeter mass in his colon.

"Sh-t, he’s got cancer," Ellie recalled thinking when the distressing test results arrived. The timing could not have been more harrowing; the diagnosis came down just one day before Ellie was scheduled to undergo her very first embryo implantation procedure to carry her brother’s child.

Understandably, the surrogacy timeline was immediately put on hold as the family rallied around Adam to confront the sudden health crisis.

"We found a doctor in Jerusalem who managed to see me and a month later, I had a surgery," Adam said, recounting the rapid steps taken to address his colon cancer diagnosis. Following the successful operation, Adam endured a rigorous series of follow-up tests and medical evaluations. The treatments proved successful, and Adam received the encouraging news that he was clear of the disease and officially in remission.

With Adam’s health restored and the cancer successfully beaten, the family was finally able to resume their plans to bring a new life into the world. Just a month after Adam received his all-clear status, Ellie successfully fell pregnant with the embryo created from her sister Jess’s egg and her brother Adam’s sperm.

Throughout the pregnancy, Ellie maintained complete transparency with her three existing children, preparing them for the unique role their family was playing. She explained to them, "Next time Mummy is pregnant, I’m helping Adam and Omer create a family, so it’s not going to be our baby, it’ll be your little cousin."

Nine months later, the anticipation culminated in the arrival of baby Gali. True to the collaborative spirit of her creation, the newborn went straight into the arms of Adam and Omer, with Adam proudly cutting the umbilical cord in the delivery room. The moment marked the triumphant conclusion of a journey that had tested the family’s resilience through both medical adversity and the profound miracle of surrogate childbirth.

For Adam and Omer, Gali represents far more than just a new addition to their household; she stands as a living testament to the depth of familial love and support.

"She’s a beautiful symbol of what family is and what family could be," Adam reflected following her birth. Looking toward the future, the couple intends to be completely open with Gali about the extraordinary circumstances surrounding her arrival into the world.

"For Gali, she’s going to know, it’s not something to hide from her," Adam said. "[We’ll tell her,] ‘This is how you were created; you have two incredible aunties that wanted you to exist so much they helped us create you.’"