Marisha Chaplin gets £2,000 for IVF from Facebook friends

A couple say they are overwhelmed by a £2,000 donation from Facebook friends to help them get IVF treatment.

About 75 women in the May Babies 2016 Facebook group raised the money for Marisha Chaplin, 25, and Jon Hibbs, 28, of Cotgrave, Nottinghamshire.

The pair already have a daughter as a result of IVF but could not afford a second round of treatment.

Mr Hibbs and Ms Chaplin, who both had cancer as teenagers, would like a sibling for one-year-old Evie.

The Facebook group decided to raise the money secretly and told Ms Chaplin in a special video they aired on a Facebook Live event.

"I actually didn't believe it when they held up the (£2,000) sign," she said. "It was bizarre and I can't put into words how amazing it was."

The couple were told they needed £2,000 for a second round of IVF treatment

The Facebook group decided to raise the money secretly and told Marisha in a special video they aired on a Facebook Live event

The friends said they could not bear the idea of their friend Marisha not having a brother or sister for her daughter

Mr Hibbs said: "They held up the sign - and I just broke down and crumpled on the floor. I couldn't think of what to say to them."

He added: "We both had Hodgkin's lymphoma when we were younger. I was going in for a check-up and I met her and …we chatted for a year on MSN and have been together ever since."

Ms Chaplin said: "After we had Evie, we saw how important it was to have a sibling for her. We knew we had to have another one."

Jon and Marisha have a one-year-old daughter Evie from the first round of IVF treatment

Ms Chaplin said her battle with cancer meant she needed IVF treatment to start a family.

"Luckily we have four embryos frozen (from the previous round of treatment) and we can use them for the next cycle, so it won't be that expensive," she added.

The Facebook group is made up of mothers who all gave birth in May last year and who share their experiences of motherhood.

Tamar Hajizadeh, from Clifton, Nottingham, said: "We were all crying when we saw her reaction - it was amazing to watch.

"It has affected all of us - because it is someone we have grown to love. It really was a team effort."

She said it took the group about three weeks to raise the £2,000.