With her entire family by her side, including two of her three adult children and a two-year-old son, Sarajean Grainson urges women over 50 to live their dreams

MANHASSET, NY – Sarajean Grainson and her husband, David, recently became the proud parents of twins Matthew and David. Their love story--and their road to parenthood--is quite unusual. Already the parents of two-year-old Luke, the couple accepted donor eggs and embraced the in-vitro fertilization process as a way to grow their family. What distinguishes them is that Mrs. Grainson will be 54 years old in less than one month and Mr. Grainson, 12 years her junior, had spent three years working as a Catholic priest in the West Indies. Theirs is a unique story of love, commitment and personal choice.      

At a news conference at North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset, NY, Mr. and Mrs. Grainson were joined by two of their adult children (one daughter had recently undergone back surgery and was unable to attend); their two-year-old son and other relatives; and Victor Klein, MD, the obstetrician/gynecologist who had successfully guided Mrs. Grainson through her pregnancy and delivered the twins on May 23. As her eldest son, Nicholas Piazza, age 31, put it, “The birth of these two beautiful little boys is both a miracle and a blessing.”

Mr. and Mrs. Grainson met at a youth ministry retreat in 1998. As a 33-year-old priest, he was already beginning to question the inherent good and necessity of a vow of mandatory celibacy. “During my years in the priesthood, I never had a clue about what it meant to be a father,” he said. “Having my children has taught me what it really is to love unconditionally. All of my children are a blessing.”

 His wife was in complete agreement. Mrs. Grainson, age 45 when they met, was already the mother of three children: Christine Piazza, now age 28; Jeanna Piazza, 22, and Nicholas. After Mr. Grainson left the priesthood, the two were married on Dec. 1, 2001. Relying on an egg donor and in-vitro fertilization, the couple gave birth to Luke on Dec. 23, 2006. As she sees it, her younger children are a continuation of the family, not another separate family. “I want women to know that there is no biological clock, thanks to the latest science and technology,” she said. “Thanks to the doctors and the generous women who come forward to donate eggs, any woman who is mentally and physically prepared to be a mother can experience this blessing.”

 Dr. Klein agreed. “Even women who have already undergone menopause can experience a normal pregnancy, thanks to donor eggs and in-vitro fertilization,” he said. He cautioned that women in their 40s and 50s who are considering having children must get a thorough medical evaluation, especially with a cardiologist, to determine whether they are able to withstand the demands of pregnancy and labor.

 Since leaving the priesthood, Mr. Grainson has worked as a social worker, and is now the assistant director for a private, non-for-profit organization that helps families in crisis. Both parents agree that above all else, theirs is a story about personal choice. “Our decision might not be right for everyone,” said Mr. Grainson. “Some people might say that we don’t look like the typical American family…but for us, this is a love story about commitment and love. It doesn’t look like Ozzie and Harriet, but you know what…it’s beautiful and it’s a blessing. Nothing can match the joy of watching our babies grow and flourish.”
 
Contact:
Michelle Pinto
516-465-2649 cell 917-327-3898