Celebrity Foots Bill for Mom to Have Baby. But She Never Knew Who Until After Star's Death
After 13 years of failing to conceive, Lynette Gillard and her then-husband Steve Davies had almost given up on their dreams of having a child.
They decided to try IVF, but the cost of continuous treatments began to add up.
The couple had already spent over $15,000 of their own money, and even sold their car to keep up with the costs.
But when they ran out of money to try yet another treatment, Steve came up with the idea to get onto the TV game show Deal or No Deal.
Steve appeared on the show in 2008 hoping to win big, but he only came away with $3,000. Although it was more than they had before the show, it was not nearly enough to fund another round of IVF.
But just days after sharing their story on Deal or No Deal, the couple received a call from the producers of the show.
An anonymous viewer called in after their episode and was so moved by their story that they wanted to donate almost $12,000 to help the couple.
The generous donation allowed Lynette to undergo medical tests to help her understand why she could not keep a pregnancy.
The tests revealed that she had cells that killed off embryos, and doctors worked to treat the condition. After treatment, Lynette continued to try IVF for another 9 rounds with no success.
But just before a 10th attempt with her boyfriend Nathan Hart, she shocked to learn that they had managed to conceive naturally.
Throughout the process, Lynette always wondered who the donor was that had given her the chance to have her child.
And on the day they found out they were pregnant, Lynette and Nathan also learned who had made it all possible: superstar singer George Michael.
Sadly, George Michael passed away that very day. The couple journeyed over 400 miles to pay their respects after learning of what he did for them.
“For years I wanted to know who it was and I was gobsmacked to find it was George Michael,” Lynette said. “Trying to help ordinary people have a family — it brings me to tears.”
But nine months later, the singer’s generous spirit would live on in Lynette and Nathan’s baby boy named Seth George Hart in his honor.
“The first time I held my little boy I said thank you to George,” Lynette said. “His hit ‘Jesus to a Child’ was playing and it felt surreal. I hope he’s looking down smiling, knowing I have what I’ve always longed for.”
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