Priya Greene nearly died trying to have a child. Baby is here, thanks to neighbor's love.

LEE — When Libby Vardaro learned her friend and neighbor Priya Greene would not be able to bear the child she prayed for, she was heartbroken for her. And then she asked herself, "What can I do to help?"

As a result, Riya Ann Greene was born and is set to celebrate her first birthday on July 29. Vardaro served as a surrogate mother for Priya and husband Rodney Greene, who live across the street from her family in Lee.

Priya Greene, who had nearly lost her life trying to have a baby, recalled the joyous moments she and her husband experienced in the delivery room as Libby Vardaro gave birth to Riya at Portsmouth Regional Hospital.

"When I heard her first little cry, I breathed a huge sigh of relief, and remember thanking God because I was so afraid that something was going to go wrong," Priya Greene said. "Everything until Libby hadn’t gone the way it should, so I kept waiting for the 'other shoe to drop.' So, to see her, here, and hear that adorable cry signaling she was excited to be here felt unreal but amazing. I then remember making sure Libby was good — and thanking her before rushing off with Riya to another room where they took her vitals and finally handed her to us."

Vardaro recalled the emotional moment, too.

"Priya and Rod were in the room so they could welcome their baby girl into the world," Vardaro said. "It was incredible. She was placed on my stomach, and I held her sweet, little finger as her parents met her for the first time. I was silently crying and in awe of this beautiful miracle. Truly grateful my family and I were part of the Greenes' journey becoming a family."

Priya Greene said looking at Riya's adorable face made her feel like nothing else in the world mattered.

"She was ours," Greene said. "I couldn’t wait to share it with our family, and introduce her, so we FaceTimed everyone and cried happy tears. Bringing her home was probably a bigger moment because even at the hospital she still didn’t feel ours. Staring at her in her bassinet and letting it all soak in just filled my heart with so much joy. Connecting to the Vardaro family in such a big way was so magical because we now have this new bond. It was amazing."

Now she's talking about her family's journey, hoping it will help bring more joy to couples facing difficulty having children.

"I wanted to tell my story, to inspire others," Priya Greene said. "People should always continue to hope, to dream about the possibilities. Never give up. Also, I wanted people know there are local resources, here to help. Wentworth-Douglass doctors are still here for us, and people should know we have expert local resources."

Journey to parenthood was nearly fatal for Priya Greene

When Priya and Rodney, both 37, decided it was time to have a child, they didn't expect it would be difficult, if not impossible. And what they thought was their last hope, in vitro fertilization, almost killed Priya.

She had an extremely rare adverse reaction to the IVF treatment, and because of that, her chances of carrying a child to term disappeared forever.

"We had been trying to have a baby since 2015," Greene said. "We had two miscarriages and did a year of fertility treatments. In 2018, we made three attempts at IUI (intrauterine insemination), which failed, leaving IVF as our last choice. We harvested three viable embryos."

In February 2018, the first embryo was tried. It didn't take. The second attempt was planned in April 2019.

"I developed severe pancreatitis while undergoing the estrogen therapy, so they couldn't do it," Priya Greene said. "I was admitted to Wentworth-Douglass (Hospital in Dover) and all my labs were so abnormal, they transferred me to Mass. General."

Greene was in the intensive care unit at Mass General for five weeks. In surgery, her gall bladder, spleen and appendix were removed. Doctors also removed half of each her small intestine and large intestine, she said. She was placed on paralytics to keep her abdomen open and her shoulder seemed nonfunctional.

"I don't remember a lot of this," she said. "For my husband, it was a nightmare. I finally went to a regular floor and then I was transferred to Spaulding Rehab. I could walk maybe 20 steps at a time; that was it. I was at Spaulding for six weeks. I was released to home with intravenous nutrition."

In September 2019, Greene returned to her job as a project manager for a medical device company. Her medical woes were not over.

"In September 2020, I had my final surgery, a reconnection surgery of the small and large intestines," she said. "I had been given an osteoma bag in hopes my intestines would recover prior to my being considered a good candidate for the reconnection. COVID happened and everything took longer."

How friendship led to surrogacy

Greene and Vardaro had been friends and neighbors since 2017. They met as part of a neighborhood walking group.

"When I was better enough to think of rejoining the group, we talked about what happened," Priya Greene said. "I had two remaining viable embryos, and Rodney and I had started to talk about finding a surrogate. I never talked with Libby about being that choice."

But the thought was in Vardaro's mind. She talked with her husband, Mike, and later with her children about doing this for her friend.

"I had always wanted kids, my whole life," Vardaro said. "Mike and I had two, easily, with never a thought of difficulty. When I heard Priya's story, I thought, 'What would I have felt if I couldn't have my children?' I thought, 'What is my purpose in life, why am I here, why did I end up in this neighborhood?' It was serendipitous, and suddenly I just knew I wanted to do this, as long as my family supported the idea."

Libby Vardaro said she and her husband had already decided two kids were enough for their family. Mike told her to go for it.

When Libby Vardaro first went to Priya Greene and offered to be her gestational surrogate, meaning she would carry the baby to term, at first she refused.

"She thanked me, but said she and Rod had decided they didn't want to use a person close to them," Vardaro said. "She had two potential matches, one in Pennsylvania and another in Texas. Pennsylvania was within driving distance. Priya said, 'That's really sweet. I have no words, but we do not want it to be anyone we know.'"

Priya Greene was touched by Libby Vardaro's offer.

"I cried," she recalled. "When Rodney got home, I told him, and we talked about it. My biggest concern was how terrible I would feel if anything bad happened to Libby. Once you become the 1%, you tend to think the worst of the world."

Eventually, she and her husband had a change of heart. The two families came together and decided it was a go.

"My kids, Marielle, 5, and Atlas, 3, were great," Vardaro said. "They knew there was a baby in my belly, but that it wasn't for our family, that it was for our good friends."

'Super joyful' every day since Riya was born

Riya was born on July 29, 2022, four weeks early, at 36 weeks. She is thriving, healthy, smart and full of joy. Both families celebrate the miracle she is, every day. During the interview for this story, Riya babbled happily in the background, perhaps wanting to share her thoughts about the situation.

"For me, this is super joyful," Vardaro said. "They have a beautiful family, and they live across the street. Priya and I are so close and I think we always will be. Priya's story is amazing. She persevered against all odds. If I have made the world a slightly better place, for me that's enough. That is the message for my own children."

"We always will be friends," Greene said.

This article originally appeared on Fosters Daily Democrat: Lee NH couple has baby thanks to neighbor's offer to be surrogate