Lisa Ray Becomes Mother Through Surrogacy, Shares Pictures Of Twin Daughters With An Empowering Message

The joy of holding your own baby for the first time is both miraculous and joyous. However, sometimes, biological complications make this a distant dream for couples who try to conceive. But thanks to medical advancements and technology that now, everyone can try having a baby.

For Lisa Ray and her businessman-husband, this joyous phase in life came when they welcomed two adorable daughters via surrogacy in June in Tbilisi, Georgia.

View this post on Instagram

Courtesy @bombaytimes: ¡®Lisa shared, ¡°Every new phase of life challenges my openness and the ability to adapt with each new experience.¡± Lisa and Jason have named their daughters Sufi ¡ª the mystic ¡ª and Soleil ¡ª the French word for ¡®sun¡¯. They were born via surrogacy in Tbilisi, Georgia, in June. ¡°It has been an arduous and interesting experience. Having been diagnosed with multiple myeloma (a form of blood cancer) in 2009, which requires me to be on a lifelong dose of medication, pre-empted the possibility for me to carry children myself. Fortunately, technology has progressed where there are choices and new possibilities for having children. My husband and I decided to pursue surrogacy. India was the obvious choice. We consulted a reputed fertility doctor, but a week before we could begin, India outlawed commercial surrogacy. We were crushed. While I understand the pressing need to regulate the industry and prevent exploitation of surrogate mothers, it was a case of literally throwing out the baby with the bath water. But, I was determined. My husband and I were advised we could continue the process in India and that there were ¡®ways¡¯. But we did not want to bring our children into the world under a cloud of uncertainty,¡± she said.¡¯ Image @aligphoto MUH @jomakeupartist PR manager @bazinga_ent

A post shared by lisaraniray (@lisaraniray) on Sep 16, 2018 at 11:23pm PDT

Lisa Ray is a woman who has never stopped inspiring people. Be it her journey of bouncing back to life after cancer or now, when she has an aim of normalising surrogacy in the minds of hesitant parents, Lisa has her heart set at the right place.

View this post on Instagram

Via @bombaytimes: ¡®The actress says she wanted to share her story to clear the myths around surrogacy. ¡°I wanted to share our struggles and triumph. Having been open about my cancer journey and receiving so much unconditional support, sharing this moment of happiness feels right. Hopefully, our story can give hope to others who are struggling to have kids. Life throws you both challenges and miracles, and I¡¯m unspeakably grateful for my miracle daughters,¡± she said. So, what plans does she have for her girls in future? ¡°I will teach my girls to be resilient, strong, open, and that they can achieve anything they set their hearts on. There are no boundaries, except the ones in our minds and children have no idea of what they can and cannot achieve. Bringing up the next generation to be kind is the greatest chance we have for a better future. I can¡¯t resist whispering in their tiny ears ¡ª ¡®The Future is Female¡¯,¡± she asserted.¡¯ Images @aligphoto MUH @jomakeupartist PR manager @bazinga_ent

A post shared by lisaraniray (@lisaraniray) on Sep 16, 2018 at 11:19pm PDT

Lisa took to her Instagram account to share this good news with the world. She didn't just share the news but she had some empowering messages for everyone. Here are some exceprts from her first interview after the big announcement.

In an interview with the Times Of India, Lisa said,

View this post on Instagram

¡°There are no short-cuts to wholeness. The only way to become whole is to put our arms lovingly around everything we¡¯ve shown ourselves to be: self-serving and generous, spiteful and compassionate, cowardly and courageous, treacherous and trustworthy.¡± ~Parker J. Palmer

A post shared by lisaraniray (@lisaraniray) on Aug 13, 2018 at 1:51am PDT

¡°At the moment, my life is full of cascading emotions, attempting to coordinate feeding, napping and play schedules while juggling work, self-care, travel and time with friends, family and my hubby. My life has been full of crazy adventures, but right now, I¡¯m experiencing a new level of anarchy and love. I can¡¯t wait to bring our daughters to our home in Mumbai.¡±

Talking about embracing motherhood in their mid-forties, Lisa said,

View this post on Instagram

Facing and feeding our demons avoids the creation of a raging monster that wreaks destruction both in us and in the world. ¡­the dragon is not slain¡­but drawn out and fearlessly nurtured¡­the potential enemy is transformed into an ally. This means that the energy that has been tied up in struggle becomes a positive and potentially protective force, a daemon rather than a demon. The shadow is the repressed self, the unwelcome aspects of our personality, we disown. We are often unaware of the shadow of our personality, because they are unseen by the conscious mind. If the shadow is not made conscious and integrated, it operates undercover, becoming the saboteur of our best intentions as well as causing harm to others. Bringing the shadow to awareness reduces it¡¯s destructive power and releases the life energy (the potential) stored in it. By befriending that which scares us most, we find our own wisdom. By @lama_tsultrim_allione Image by @farrokhchothia

A post shared by lisaraniray (@lisaraniray) on Aug 1, 2018 at 5:51am PDT

¡°My husband and I are becoming parents in our mid-40s, which is also unconventional, but the right time for us. I love to see Jason with them, growing into his new role as a father, holding them, changing diapers, with a burp cloth I got him, which is embroidered with ¡®Men Who Change Diapers, Change the World¡¯.¡±

After sharing the details and her journey of bouncing back after cancer, Lisa now wants to normalise surrogacy. She wants people to get over all the wrong notions attached to the experience. Talking about her own encounter, she said,

Instagram/Lisa Ray

¡°It has been an arduous and interesting experience. Having been diagnosed with multiple myeloma (a form of blood cancer) in 2009, which requires me to be on a lifelong dose of medication, pre-empted the possibility for me to carry children myself. Fortunately, technology has progressed where there are choices and new possibilities for having children. My husband and I decided to pursue surrogacy. India was the obvious choice. We consulted a reputed fertility doctor, but a week before we could begin, India outlawed commercial surrogacy. We were crushed. While I understand the pressing need to regulate the industry and prevent exploitation of surrogate mothers, it was a case of literally throwing out the baby with the bath water. But, I was determined. My husband and I were advised we could continue the process in India and that there were ¡®ways¡¯. But we did not want to bring our children into the world under a cloud of uncertainty¡±.

A feminist and a brave philanthropist, Lisa also shared an empowering message for all the parents. Talking about her 'girls' and the new addition in her life, Lisa said,

¡°I will teach my girls to be resilient, strong, open, and that they can achieve anything they set their hearts on. There are no boundaries, except the ones in our minds and children have no idea of what they can and cannot achieve. Bringing up the next generation to be kind is the greatest chance we have for a better future. I can¡¯t resist whispering in their tiny ears ¡ª ¡®The Future is Female¡¯.¡±

The future is indeed female. We wish Lisa all the very best for her journey towards motherhood.