Most couples get married and eventually want to expand their family by having children. It is the way of life to start a family once you have settled with your partner. But what about couples that are not able to bear children? This lovely couple that had trouble conceiving gets the shock of their lives from an unexpected person who steps in to offer help...
We all know that children are the best gifts we could ever receive from G0d. This couple we are about to read about want nothing more than to have their own kids. What would you do if you could not have the one thing you wanted the most? Would you go to all lengths to make sure you get it or would you give up and move on? This story about the struggles and the surprising plot twist that came about to this lovely couple is indeed a very beautiful thing to witness. If you are trying to have kids or if you have kids of your own, then it is lost likely that you would relate to this remarkable story of hope and loyalty.
Nicole and Kevin got married, wanting to have kids, However, fate was not so kind. Nicole suffers from a disease known as “thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura” or TTP. TTP causes extensive microscopic blood clots that form in the small blood vessels in the body where the victim ends up with low platelet counts. We all know that, in order for a woman to conceive a baby, she must be physically and emotionally fit. If there is any problem regarding her health, then there is bound to be some aide-effects that results in the child. The couple knew this very well.
Imagine the kind of heartbreak Nicole must feel being the reason why she and her husband cannot have kids. It would definitely take a toll on both her physical and mental self to know that she is the main cause for them to not have children. However, what was she to do when her disease is something she cannot just wish away. If it was under her control, then she would have definitely made all the changed she could possibly make But, unfortunately it was not for her to decided and she obviously had to take care of herself as well.
So as they searched far and wide for options, Nicole and Kevin realized that making use of a surrogate was out of the question. We all know that many people who cannot bear a child, make use of a willing surrogate that would carry their child for them. We see several celebrities including Kim Kardashian, Tyra Banks, etc, make use of surrogates to have children. The couple reside in Long Island where paying for a surrogate is illegal as it is situated in New York. So it was clear that this option was not one that the couple could even think of taking.
The couple's next option was to look into adoption agencies to try and adopt a baby. This is a common method used by couples or even single parents to have children when they cannot bear one themselves. If done right, it is both beneficial for the parent and the child as most of these children are orphans. But again Nicole and Kevin realized that adoption was no joke and that it was an expensive process that would cost over $90,000. They did not have that kind of money and the risk of it not working was too much stress to even think about.
Since TTP is not genetic, the couple wanted to try and freeze Nicole's eggs to hopefully be able to have biological children someday. Many friends of the couple had offered to carry for them but due to various reasons, always ended up not happening. It was a growing concern which slowly transformed into a frustration that they could not help but just bear. Even if they wanted to change the circumstances, it was clear that this loving couple were at a dead end. Things were not going as planned and the future did not seem so bright.
They were slowly losing hope and it was a sad time for the couple who wanted to have kids so badly. The couple was starting to feel like they were cursed and that they were unworthy. Since all of their efforts to try and have a baby was failing, Nicole and Kevin were running out of options. They felt helpless and insecure. Would you blame yourself if this kind of situation ever happened to you or would you just forget about it? This kind of obstacle really does put a strain on a person's mental state and even a couple's relationship as well. The answer is never certain.
As they were starting to feel like the chances of them having a surrogate grew dimmer and dimmer, things were about to change. Little did they know that all of their hardships and issues were about to turn into something extraordinary. It was like any other day and the couple was still very saddened by the lack of positive result when it came to having a child. On a dinner date with the couple's couple friends Shawn and Lianna, something happened. Since it was a random dinner date, when Lianna made an announcement, it surprised everybody at the dinner table that night.
The good news came so abrupt and sudden that the couple was not prepared at all. Lianna wanted to step up and offer her body to carry her dear friend's child. The Barratini’s were over the moon. “To see their faces, their excitement, I don’t think they believed it themselves,” Lianna revealed. She just wanted to play her part in trying to keep her dear friends happy as a married couple who were desperate to have a baby. It is times like these that reveal who true friends. How many of us can say we have a friend like Lianna who would sacrifice her whole body to keep her friends happy?
Since she had been a family friend for so long, Lianna was well aware that Nicole had been unsuccessfully trying to bear a child for the past 6 years. She had seen her good friends struggle and do through depressive time because of their misfortune of not being able to conceive a baby. During these years Lianna had her 2nd and 3rd child and could not offer herself as a surrogate as she was still not done with having kids of her own. She needed to make sure that she was happy with the number of kids she had before stepping in.
For Lianna, having kids was literally a piece of cake. She had never gone through such an saddening experience like her friends Nicole and Kevin. Her husband and her were lucky enough to both be very fertile and successful in having their own kids. So after having 5 kids of their own, Lianna and Shawn were done with having their own kids. During all these years, the couple saw their friends struggling to have their own babies. “At first it was difficult for me to get a sense of why she wanted to do this,” Nicole admitted. “She is an angel. She wanted to do this out of the kindness of her heart.”
“I was blessed to have 5 kids and they are all amazing,” Lianna had expressed when asked about her experience as a mother. “I couldn’t picture my life without them. To see this family so deserving, it broke my heart,” she said, explaining how heart wrenching it was to see her dear friends struggle so much with something she effortlessly made possible. To her, the best way she could possibly return the favor of Nicole and Kevin was offering her body as a surrogate. So after the Barratini’s had Lianna as a surrogate, it was finally time for the couple to have their own kids. To say they were excited would be an understatement.
The couples were exceptionally supportive of each other and there was no denying that their bond was real. Shawn had assisted Lianna with her hormone shots that would prepare her body to accept the implantation of the embryos formed by Nicole’s eggs and Kevin’s sperm. SO as soon as her boy was ready, it was time for the first “In Vitro Fertilization” or IVF attempt. But sadly, this proved to be unsuccessful again, resulting in yet another episode of heartbreak. Was this ever going to end? Will the couple ever get to experience the blessing of having a child?
Even though this obviously left the couple in despair, they decided to toughen up and march on. They were not going to go down without a fight and they were not about to lose this fight. They did not want to lose hope, so they tried for the second time. This time, the IVF proved to be a success. They would regularly go for check-ups. Sometimes they would even show up twice a week. Both of the Fives and the Barrattinis were all very excited that all 4 were present at 95% of all their appointments.
There was so much speculation and confusion going on between the guests. They did not really know whey they had been invited to this gathering as the invitation was not so clear about what party it was. They were all in for a very big surprise. The guests were obviously very intrigued because surrogates are not so common to see every day. Most people that attended the part had the same question of how Lianna would be able to give up the kids. “Their buns, my oven,” she would respond. “I will always have a connection to the twins, but I had problem with letting them go.”…
We all know how long it takes for a pregnant mother to wait until she can finally give birth. To this couple it seems like a lifetime because they had to wait for such a long time until they finally met someone who could help. After a long 9 months of waiting, it was finally time for Lianna to give birth. Since one of the twins was breech, which meant that it hadn’t turned to be head down yet, there was a slight problem. In the end, they all decided that the babies would have to be born by opting for a C-section.
The time that the desperate couple had been waiting for all these years was finally coming true. To say that they were overjoyed could not even begin to explain how they truly felt. As of February 10th, little Dominic was welcomed, followed a few minutes by Luciana, and the two were born happy and healthy. The Baratinis were allowed to stay in the hospital room while the twins were being delivered. “I felt hot and dizzy,” Nicole had said. She went on saying, “We saw the whole thing.”…
There was one thing that the couple wanted to do for their couple friends who had been such an essential part in the possibility of them having a baby. As you might have guessed, Nicole and Kevin obviously made Lianna and Shawn their godparents. The couples became closer than ever and shared an unbreakable bond. “I don’t have a sister but I’d consider her like that,” explained Nicole. “We don’t hold back, we are open, honest, and I am constantly turning to her for advice.” Their words were indeed true as their actions literally reflect them.
So in the end, the only thing the couple felt in their heart after yearning for babies was gratitude. Indeed, there was so much they were thankful for. On top of the list was Lianna and Shawn who had basically sacrificed themselves for them. Kevin also expressed his gratitude saying, “Lianna and Shawn saved us.” During the time they were looking for options, Kevin revealed that he and Nicole had “hit rock bottom and you think it’s the end of the road. We are literally blessed. There are no words.” They were over the moon to finally have their own biological kids at long last.
“We have a strong faith,” Nicole adds, “and I believe things happen for a reason, and I believe that energy you put in comes full circle, and I think it will with her.” The couple has credited the Fives for changing their mindset to see the positive aspects in life. If it was not for their unselfish act, they could never have their own babies. The blessing was double because they had a boy and a girl. It was more than they could have ever asked for. They now have a better perspective on looking at things and finding the silver lining and are truly an example of the positive things that comes out of never losing hope.
There is yet another funny point that needs to be made regarding this couple's new babies. It is funny to note that the twins are technically not Kevin and Nicole's kids yet. Since they were not technically birthed by Nicole, there was one thing that they needed to do legally.“The kids aren’t on our birth certificate yet,” Nicole revealed. “We have to adopt our own children that are 100% maternally and paternally ours.” The couple does not fear the possibility of the Fives getting possessive of the twins.
So we can all agree that from this that sometimes, the most rewarding thing we can do is to offer help for free. The happiness that Kevin and Nicole have is priceless and no amount of money can buy it. This incident really shows us just how generous and selfless some people can be. Lianna and Shawn are truly commendable for being so selfless and devoted to their friends. We need to fill up this world with people like Lianna and Shawn because most of use are always too busy trying to keep ourselves happy that we end up forgetting how rewarding it is to do something for others.
Here are 5 remarkable stories about surrogacy that would definitely tug your heartstrings. Just make sure you have a tissue near you...
Jo and Paul Coomb are a couple from Britain who had experienced 10 failed IVF pregnancies and 2 miscarriages. her sister Caroline offered to help and got pregnant using her own eggs and Paul's sperm. They had their son Charlie, who was born on March 30, 2009.
Teresa Anderson became a surrogate for Luisa Gonzalez and Enrique Moreno and ended carrying quintuplets. So on April 26, 2005, she gave birth to five boys. She refused to take the $15,000 fee, because she felt that the couple would need the money more than her to raise their boys.
In 2004, Tina Cade's daughter who suffered from endometriosis was running our of options to get pregnant. So she decided to be a surrogate for her daughter and her husband. She ended up carrying three kids and delivered them without much problem at the age of 55.
In October 2005, Jennifer Rutansky made history as the first person ever to have a child using her frozen eggs. She found out in 1997 that she had Hodgkin's lymphoma. Afraid of being sterile, she froze 13 of her eggs which she successfully used later.
This Welch woman named Liz Stringer had given birth to 6 surrogate babies and is now 47 years of age. When asked why she does this for free, she responds with a simple answer, "The huge emotional rush I feel seeing the parents' joy is what makes it addictive."