Beacon Hill’s Sheila Vijeyarasa and Tyson Salijevic will introduce miracle baby Phoenix to viewers in the third season of Channel 9’s Big Miracles, which launches tomorrow 5 February. The series follows couples struggling with infertility and their IVF challenges.
Peninsula Living has followed the couple’s journey for three years – from their initial heartbreak of not being able to conceive as an older couple, to their decision to use a donor egg from the USA. In Episode 1, as the couple prepare for Phoenix’s birth, Sheila, 47, has a medical emergency which threatens her pregnancy.
Sheila, an author and life trainer, told PL that it would be ‘really emotional’ for the couple to see Season 3. “We’ve had such a massive journey to get there. We went through seven rounds of IVF and ended up having to go down the egg donor road.
“It will feel emotional going back over those highs and lows of the journey. But I also feel quite proud because it was a journey of resilience and courage. And I know that women seeing this feel like their stories are also being told, and that’s why this series is so important.”
For women looking to conceive, the chances decrease as they age. Sheila initially tried to conceive at 45 with eggs she had frozen at age 38, but she and Tyson were not successful. Dr Raewyn Tierney from IVFAustralia said it was ‘very rare’ for women attempting to conceive at age 49 with their own eggs. “To conceive at 49, the best chance is with donor eggs,” Dr Tierney said.
Since Sheila and Tyson’s journey had been screened on Big Miracles, Dr Tierney said she had seen an influx of women seeking help with IVF. “I’m definitely giving more advice to women over 45 years of age since Big Miracles started, and some do choose the pathway of donor eggs.”
Younger donor eggs have a success rate of 65% per embryo, Dr Tierney said.
“There are often some delays and waitlists for finding a local egg donor, and the wait times change all the time, depending on how many women are available and ready to donate their eggs. But if women find their own egg donor, there is no waitlist.”
Some couples choose to buy an egg from overseas, such as the USA – the path which Sheila and Tyson pursued – though it is quite costly.
Sheila said Phoenix, now 10 months, was ‘wonderful,’ and while he doesn’t sleep enough, ‘we rarely complain about any of the tough stuff because we know how hard it was to get our beautiful baby.’
The couple will feature in Episode 1, Episode 2, with a series ‘catch up’ of several participants and recap of the three seasons on the final Episode 6.
Watch Big Miracles Wednesdays on Channel 9, starting 5 February at 9pm
