Gee's Story

Gee:

I never imagined becoming a mum would happen the way it did.

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I came to Australia from Korea to study. After graduating, I found a job and began my life here. Then, unexpectedly, I discovered I was pregnant, already around five or six months into my pregnancy.

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I was living in Australia on my own and suddenly had to face an unexpected pregnancy without the people I would normally turn to. I wasn't ready to tell my family about the baby, and I didn't know what the future would look like. When Ellie was born, I was overjoyed, but I was also facing motherhood without my family around me.

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Those first weeks were incredibly lonely. I was learning how to be a mum while trying to process everything that had happened.

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That was when I was introduced to Mum for Mum and to Amanda, who became an important part of my journey. I first met her when Ellie was just three weeks old. We spent time together, talked, walked and gradually became close. There was never any pressure or judgement. She was simply there for me.

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One of the hardest things was telling my mum in Korea about Ellie. I was terrified of how she would react. Eventually, I found the courage to make the call, with Amanda sitting beside me as I introduced my mum to her granddaughter.

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There were tears and shock, but it became the beginning of something wonderful. My mum and I grew close again, and she eventually came to Australia to meet Ellie. She has now visited us three times.

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Ellie is now two, and Amanda remains someone very special to both of us.

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I came into motherhood feeling completely alone. Having someone there who cared, listened and never judged me helped me realise that I didn't have to face it all on my own. The support I received reminded me that asking for help isn't a sign of weakness. Sometimes, simply having someone there can make all the difference.

Amanda:

I met Geonju through Mum for Mum, a wonderful organisation that provides emotional support to mothers who may be feeling isolated or without a strong support network. Volunteers are matched with a mum during the final trimester of pregnancy or the first 12 months of her baby’s life, offering a regular, caring and non-judgmental presence.

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Nadene, the Sydney founder, approached me and asked if I would be interested in meeting Geonju, a young Korean woman who had recently given birth to a baby girl and was completely alone. She lived in the inner city “parking was tricky” I was warned, but I agreed immediately.

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And so began my journey with Geonju, or Gee, as she prefers and her beautiful baby girl, Ellie.

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Gee had come from Korea to attend university. After completing her degree and finding employment, she unexpectedly fell pregnant, only realising at around 18 weeks. Her long-term partner chose not to be involved and, without telling her family or friends, Gee continued her pregnancy alone.

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She gave birth to a healthy baby girl at the Royal Hospital for Women. Recognising her isolation, a hospital social worker contacted Mum for Mum.

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My first meeting with Gee was at a little city café when Ellie was three weeks old. They were both adorable. From there, we met weekly, often walking in the park. Gee gradually shared her story and we talked about the extraordinary gift of motherhood, but also its complexities. One thing weighed particularly heavily: her family in Korea had no idea Ellie existed.

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Two months later, with Ellie in a baby carrier, we walked the City2Surf together.

As we walked the flats, climbed the seemingly endless Heartbreak Hill and finally made our way down towards the magnificent Bondi Beach, we talked about how those 14 kilometres mirrored Gee’s journey into motherhood. There are plateaus and mountain-like hills and moments when the road feels easy. But once you have travelled the route you can look back with enormous pride at how far you have come. During that walk we spoke extensively about what it might “look like” if Gee told her mother about Ellie. I had always offered to be beside her if and when that day came.

A few days later, Gee decided she was ready.

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On a rainy Tuesday morning, we sat together in a little café and FaceTimed her mother in Korea. I sat next to Gee as she introduced her mother to her granddaughter.

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Understandably, there was disbelief, distress and tears. Eventually though the shock subsided and the call ended cordially.

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That evening, I wrote Gee’s mother a letter.

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I explained who I was and how I had come to know her daughter. I told her how extraordinary I thought Gee was. How brave, dignified and respectful she had been throughout an incredibly difficult time and what a beautiful mother she was to Ellie. 

I told her that Gee’s strength and goodness had not appeared from “nowhere.” It was obvious to me that Gee herself had been given the gift of a wonderful mother, and that the values, love and strength she was now giving Ellie had first been given to her.

I translated the letter into Korean and sent it to Gee, telling her it was entirely her decision whether she wanted to forward it.

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She did.

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Her mother responded quickly, explaining what an enormous shock the news had been, but also how grateful she now felt to know.

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And from that moment, everything changed.

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Gee and her mother began FaceTiming every day. Eventually Grandma came to Australia to meet Ellie. I will never forget that emotional day at the airport, watching her arrive with her arms open to embrace her two favourite girls, her daughter and her granddaughter.

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Ellie is now two, and Grandma has visited Australia three times.

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Gee, Ellie and I continue to do the City2Surf together, with Grandma joining us along the way by way of FaceTime. Once again we travel the flats, climb the hills and make our way down that final stretch towards the magnificent view of Bondi Beach.

And each year it reminds me of how far Gee has come.

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I first met her because Mum for Mum asked me to walk beside a young mother who needed some support. I could never have imagined where that walk would take us.

Today, I feel incredibly fortunate to still be walking beside her (the 12 month program complete). We are all so proud of Gee, of  her courage, her resilience, the mother she has become. She really is a reason to celebrate. 

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