Opals star Cayla George played a big part in Australia’s bronze medal victory at the Women’s Basketball World Cup.
But one week later, she had an even bigger role to play – becoming a mother.
No, she didn’t take to the court heavily pregnant; her sister-in-law gifted her a baby in a Torres Strait Islander practice known as Kupai Omasker.
Watch: The Australian Opals test their local knowledge in a home-style trivia showdown. Story continues after video.
"It’s common in their culture to gift babies to close family members that struggle to have kids or aren’t able to," Cayla shared on Mamamia's Here If You Need podcast.
"My husband and I had struggled to fall pregnant. We had tried a couple of times, but it’s hard being an athlete. What do I give up?
"My period was all over the place too. I actually didn’t have a period for four years at one point, which doesn’t help when you’re trying to fall pregnant!"
It was just after the Rio Olympics when Cayla's sister-in-law brought up the idea.
"[My husband] Kailou’s sister had a conversation with us and said that she’d love to gift us with a baby when the timing was right. I had been in their family since 2011 so I had an understanding of this process. I was like, 'Oh my God, yes, absolutely. Whenever you are ready.'"
"She had three girls already, but she really wanted a boy, and if she had a boy, she would keep it. Her next baby ended up being a boy, so she kept Nicholas. And then in March last year, I got home from the championships in Melbourne and she told me, 'Cayla, I’m nine weeks pregnant.' I was like, 'Oh my goodness! It’s happening!'"
"It was perfect timing. She was born a week and a bit after the World Cup bronze medal game. I ran off the court, had a few glasses of prosecco, celebrated, and a week and a half later, Pearl was born! It was so surreal in the delivery room; I didn’t cry because I was just so overwhelmed."
There is so much about this process that I love. The selflessness of Cayla’s sister to give the ultimate gift, the beautiful journey that Cayla is now on as a mother, and the fact she didn’t lose her career to years of fertility treatment struggles.
As someone in a same-sex relationship, I’ve been on that IVF rollercoaster. I’ve also witnessed countless women never fall pregnant, and accept a future without children. Seeing this cultural tradition fulfil family dreams for so many Torres Strait Islander couples, like Cayla and Kailou, is truly something special.
But as Cayla shared on Here If You Need, it hasn’t come without its hurdles, with just one state in Australia acknowledging the cultural process as legal.
"The agreement was verbal. She says, 'I want to gift you a baby', and we accept. And as soon as I take her, she’s ours. Fortunately, island adoption actually became legalised in Queensland in 2020. They’ve been doing it for generations, but it’s only become legally recognised two or three years ago, which is crazy!"
"Fortunately, because of that, I’ve just gone through the process of her application, and they sent back the birth certificate which has mine and my husband’s name on it instead of the birth parents. So we’re legally her parents, which creates fewer barriers for us moving forward as we raise her. It’s really exciting."
So what does juggling a tiny human and a professional career look like? It’s safe to say that it really gives meaning to the phrase, 'It takes a village.' Pearl regularly attends Cayla’s training sessions and games, and it’s all hands on deck to help out.
"We had a game in Gippsland in regional Victoria, and she was literally on the bench the whole game! My team manager was cuddling her the whole time. Then I got fouled off, went straight over to her, high fived everyone, picked her up and sat on the bench and just held her. It was nice. I was like, 'Oh, I’m not angry anymore!'"
Want to know more about Cayla George's story? Listen to Here If You Need where she explains the tradition behind 'island adoption'.
Feature Image: Instagram @cfrannykg.
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