A 52-year-old woman serving as a surrogate mother for her daughter, a contestant on NBC's "American Gladiators," has given birth to two of her own grandchildren, a set of twins.
The babies, a boy and a girl, were born Wednesday at an Arizona hospital, the family said.
"I just feel so blessed and fortunate. It's the best experience of my life," Crystal Sirignano told The Flint Journal for a story published Friday."I don't regret one second, even the times when I didn't feel good. None of that was as bad as watching what my daughter went through."
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She has owned Total Body Fitness in Grand Blanc for 25 years while husband D.J. owns John's Steakhouse in Goodrich, where the couple live.
Crystal Sirignano offered to become a surrogate for her daughter after Kendra Sirignano went through several failed infertility treatments and surgeries.
The mother, a physically fit woman, had to stop working out after she started carrying the twins. She started to eat meat despite being a vegetarian.
In October, she went to live near her daughter's home in Tempe, Ariz.
"I've been nauseous the whole time, and the hardest part is they wanted me to gain 50 pounds and eat 3,500 calories a day," she said.
The healthy babies were delivered by Caesarean section.
The boy, Domenic, weighed 6 pounds, 11 ounces when he arrived in the world at 11:56 a.m. Wednesday. His sister, Mia, came a minute later and weighed 5 pounds, 4 ounces.
Kendra Sirignano, 30, a mental health therapist, and her husband, Aaron Simpson, a 33-year-old wrestling coach who is competing with her on "American Gladiators," also have a 15-year-old daughter, Claire, whom they adopted three years ago.
"My mom did amazing," said Kendra Sirignano.
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