Parenthood is undoubtedly a blessing that mother nature has bestowed upon us. At a certain age, every individual dreams of starting their own family. From holding their toddlers' fingers and teaching them to walk, to driving their infants to soccer practice, p.s. sports is not to be forced. There's a lot to this experience of a lifetime that develops an individual's character through parenting.
This is the story of a married couple from Ohio, and how their dream of bringing forth a child seemed nearly impossible. When about to give up, doctors came up with a news that turned their world upside-down.
Bringing forth a child and is a dream that a couple cherishes together and at a certain point in life every couple looks forward to fostering this dream. A newborn certainly adds up colors to a parent's life. Though bringing up kids is not as easy, it is a bliss that one gets to experience only by becoming a parent. But in this sweet journey, there are often setbacks...
Starting a family is nothing less than a challenge in the present day scenario. While some couples plan everything beforehand, waiting for the right time, others go with the flow and dive right into the experience. No matter what one's plans are, the only thing to expect from life is that it's unexpected. The modern day lifestyle that includes hectic workload and stress can often lead to problems such as infertility or having a difficulty in conceiving when one least expects it.
Raised in the city of Ohio, Johnston and Joby bumped into each other during their college days. They both happened to attend the Ohio University and that is when the fling began. They came from the same background, knew each other well enough, had the same aspirations in life, the two lovebirds were inseparable. After scoring their degrees, they decided to tie the knot.
After getting married in 2005, Annie and Joby were in no hurry to start a family of their own. They thought it would be wiser to let their careers be their first priority for a while. They knew the struggles of life and wanted to make sure they were in a position to provide their future kids with a better life.
They planned every little step in life, after 3 years of hustle that led them to enormous professional success, they were now ready to work on their personal lives and decided to bear a kid. But in their case, it wasn't going to be as easy as it sounds.
They started planning their family in 2008, unaware of the problems they would bump into. While they were desperate to hear the good news, it didn't occur to anyone that something wasn't right. And how could they, They were both physically fit and were at the peak of their youth. Time went by, and when they didn't get the good news, the couple decided to get themselves examined.
Annie and Joby could sense that something wasn't right, they paid a visit to the hospital to get themselves examined. The doctors ran a couple of tests and later concluded the reason for the couple's inability to conceive. They were having trouble conceiving because Annie was infertile. The news broke their heart, now that they wanted to bear kids, the odds seemed against them.
The couple initially opted for medication, later seeking IVF treatment twice, but Annie was never tested positive for pregnancy. They were stubborn in their efforts, but they would only learn by trial-and-error, that bringing forth a kid, which comes as easy to others was going to take a toll on them.
It seemed like having kids of their own wasn't in Annie's and Joby's fate. They had been trying different methods over the past four years but the results were always negative. With every failed method including- IVF, artificial insemination and even surgery, they were losing hope and there came a time when they were on the verge of giving up.
Annie and Joby were gutted to know that they couldn't bear a child because of Annie's infertility. Their life was in shambles as they have always wanted to share a child of their own, but now it seemed rather unlikely. But as they say, "it ain't over, till it's over" and the family continued contemplating ways to keep their dream alive.
When it appeared that the couple couldn't conceive, there came a time when they considered adopting a child. Adoption is a long and tedious process, it requires a lot of paperwork and is time-consuming. It takes 2-7 years to complete the process and bring the child to the family. While Annie and Joby were considering their options, an opportunity knocked on their door.
But there was still a ray of hope left that could bring light to their life, and so it happened, their life took a 180 when a special someone came to their rescue. Annie's older sister, Chrissy came to her rescue and made a selfless offer.
Chrissy, age 37, was a mother of two, and she didn't want her sister, Annie, to miss out on an experience of a lifetime, the absolute bliss that is motherhood. Chrissy didn't know much about surrogacy or the fact that was she even eligible for the process? She just surfed through the internet about mere details such as age and other medical restrictions to see if she qualifies, which she did.
Annie's sibling, Chrissy had witnessed her going through the pain and suffering that came along with every failed attempt. She stepped forward and voluntarily offered to surrogate a child for Annie and Joby. However, they didn't consider her offer back then, but they finally would after two years.
Chrissy was their final hope, They were fed up of trying the same procedures over and over again hoping that the results would differ. They were on the verge of giving up, and that was when they considered giving a shot to what her sister had offered. They wanted to try their hands on everything possible before giving Chrissy a call.
After witnessing years of failure, their fate now hanged in Chrissy's hands. They gave one final shot to their dream of bearing a child on February 19, 2013. The doctors implanted Chrissy with two fertilized eggs hoping for the best.
The process of fertilization took place on Valentine's day, romantic! isn't it? The doctors extracted two eggs from Annie and fertilized them with Joby's sperm. The eggs were then implanted into the surrogate i.e Chrissy.
IVF is an intricate process and like any other surgery, there are many risk factors involved. Although, there are always risks involved even if one conceives naturally but with IVF the odds of them happening increases. The most common phenomenon associated with IVF is multiple births which are the fallout of multiple embryos implantation. Other complications might include an underweight baby or premature birth.
After years of failed attempts, Annie was deemed infertile but the doctors decided to implant two fertilized eggs into her as well. They were on the same cycle and the doctors thought that it would only increase their chances as they didn't have anything to lose.
The day had finally arrived, the good news made up for the unpleasant experience that Annie and Joby had endured for the last 5 years. The pregnancy test confirmed that Chrissy was pregnant, but what left everyone stunned was Annie being tested positive for pregnancy. After years of failed efforts she was deemed infertile, and what eventually happened, was nothing less than a miracle.
Chrissy and Annie, both the sisters were like two peas in a pod. They were each other's best friend since the time they were kids. From attending the same school to getting themselves enrolled in the same university and what not. As a matter of fact, both these women found the love of their life at Ohio University. It was always as if their lives were in sync, and now she was going to carry her babies for her younger sister.
After all, Annie had been through, the doctors wanted to assure that at least one implant ends up as a success. It was only a matter of weeks and both the sisters decided to go meet with their doctor, Jain Lindauer, to get updates on their implants. Little did they know it was only first of the many surprises they had signed up for.
The doctors had already warned the sisters that there's a slight possibility that both of them might end up conceding. But, given the medical history of Annie, the family thought it was impossible. So when the word came from the doctor, "We have double the good news..." they were left astonished.
Everything went well and both the sisters conceived the very same day with both the implantation being successful. It was a dream come true for Annie, but there was more to it than she could have ever imagined, that there was another surprise in store for her.
During the seventh week examination of Annie, it was found that both the eggs were successfully implanted. There are times when surrogacy can lead to multiple births as more than one eggs are implanted. The same was the case with Annie, she was going to bring forth twins.
It was time for Chrissy to be examined. The look on the doctor's face gave it away, the ultrasound confirmed that Chrissy, too, was blessed with twins." When God decides to give you something, he overwhelms you" and that was the case with Annie. All she ever wanted was to have a kid of her own, but now she had not only one, but four kids.
Both the sisters were going to bring forth twins, and they were excited twice as much, but twice as much as care was also needed. Although Chrissy had experienced pregnancy twice, she had never borne twins, and for Annie, it was an all new experience. Annie and Chrissy were asked to take certain precautions as risks of a miscarriage are more likely for a baby Conceived with IVF than the natural selection.
Though, there are a lot of precautions that need to be taken during pregnancy. Anny and Chrissie were asked to take strict measures during the first 90 days of their pregnancy as this time period are quite sensitive. They had to follow a strict diet, free of caffeine, alcohol and were asked to cut down on certain foods that could be harmful to the baby.
There was no limit to Annie's happiness, her long-awaited dream was about to come true. And she was doing everything it took to live that dream. Chrissy and Annie stood by each other's side and took care of each other throughout their pregnancy. Mood swings are common during pregnancy, so, both the sisters signed up for meditation to stay calm and healthy.
After years of struggle and months of waiting, Joby and Annie were about to meet their dreams. It was as if both the sisters were living their lives in-sync or it could have just been the mother of all co-incidences, Annie's and Chrissy's water bag broke, and they were rushed to the hospital on 23rd, October 2013.
On October 24, 2013, the couple was blessed with a pair of twin girls and a pair of twin boys. Both Annie and Chrissy gave birth on the same day, while Annie gave birth to two baby girls, Chrissy had brought two baby boys into the family. They named their kids Grace, Hadley, Tommy, and Charley.
Annie was eventually able to conceive on her own, and when asked if she regrets seeking help from Chrissy. She replied, "I was perhaps a little more calm and relaxed this particular time as a lot of pressure was off from me, I can't just say that if we had chosen not to use her as a surrogate then things would exactly be the same as they are". She also thanked Chrissy for helping them start a family. "It just came out of love, and Chrissy didn't really care about the consequences to herself,” she clarified.
Chrissy was well aware of the after effects and the toll pregnancy can take on one's body. Despite all, she carried her sister's children for 9 months and happily gave them away. “I consider them as my nephews,” she said, she's an active member in their lives and it's easy for her to be there at those special moments as they all live in the same neighborhood.
Annie and Joby were blessed with a loving family. Chrissy came to their rescue when the couple had the problem of their life and just when it wasn't enough, Annie's parents offered their service. They were willing to look after their newly born grandkids whenever the situation demands, so Annie could use some rest.
Down on their luck for 5 long years, eventually, the couple's hands were now full. Annie Annie got more than she had ever dreamed of, she said: "they were taking quadruplets home, as the kids were brought to life on the same day." "Mills of the gods grind slowly," and at last, the couple had the family of their dreams.