Widow has twins two years after husband's death

Kelly Bowen had Ruby and Chaise after IVF treatment (Photo: Media Wales)

A woman has given birth to twins nearly two years after their father died of cancer.

Kelly Bowen, of Caerau, Bridgend county, conceived her son and daughter with frozen sperm from her late husband Gavin, it has been reported.

He died in April 2008. aged 22, two days after their wedding.

Ruby and Chaise were born after she had the third and final round of IVF treatment. Mrs Bowen told the Glamorgan Gazette: "They are both doing fine."

The couple already had a son Shay after fertility treatment in 2007, who was conceived after Mr Bowen was diagnosed with cancer.

Mrs Bowen, 25, told the Gazette: "My husband had cancer and he died in April 2008.

"Because of the chemotherapy, he had to freeze his sperm and we had a son, Shay, through IVF in October 2007.

Before he passed away, we decided we wanted a brother or sister for Shay, but he passed away too soon Kelly Bowen

"Before he passed away, we decided we wanted a brother or sister for Shay, but he passed away too soon.

"After he passed, I thought, 'I am going to continue to do it'.

"I had two tries of IVF and it didn't work. On the third go, I said it would be one more try, and it worked."

Rare disease

Mrs Bowen told the paper she found out she was pregnant in May 2009. Three weeks later she was told she was expecting twins.

The babies arrived at the Princess of Wales Hospital in Bridgend nine days early. The elder, Ruby Grace, was born at 11am on New Year's Eve, weighing 5lb 12.5oz and brother Chaise Gavin one minute later, weighing 7lb 10oz.

Mr and Mrs Bowen met through friends and had been in a relationship for a year and a half when the cancer was diagnosed.

Mr Bowen was diagnosed with Ewing's Sarcoma in June 2006, a rare disease of male teenagers, in which cancer cells are found in the bone or in soft tissue.

He underwent treatment but in 2008 complained of what seemed to be a chest infection and doctors found cancer had spread to his lungs.

The couple married at their home in the April two days before Mr Bowen's death.