Wade and Christina’s story began as babies when Wade stole Christina’s bottle. Their mothers grew up together and remained close friends so the two would see each other on summer days and special occasions. One such special occasion was Christina’s first birthday when Wade kissed her for the first time, unaware he would one day kiss her again. After graduating high school, Wade joined the United States Marine Corps and Christina went to college. For years, they lived separate lives; oblivious to God’s plan for them to meet again. One summer day, after years apart, God brought the two back together again but this time was different. The timing was perfect. And so, on a night full of dancing and celebration, a new chapter in Wade and Christina’s story was written. They married and quickly began trying to get pregnant, never anticipating the challenges they would face. Wade, a CT technologist, and Christina, a social worker, showered their two fur babies, Gram and Bentley, with love, clung to their faith and remained focused on their careers as they began struggling to conceive.
The couple soon began seeking help from a highly respected and knowledgeable fertility specialist. After time spent on various procedures, hypotheses and conclusions, the doctor informed the couple that Christina would need the assistance of medication in order for a pregnancy to be maintained, but that there should be no reason the two could not conceive. Months of negative pregnancy tests and resulting heartache continued as Wade and Christina followed their doctor’s recommendations. They tried everything from various medications, IUI and acupuncture to eating all organic foods, eliminating toxins from their home, replacing Christina’s makeup and skin care with all non-toxic products and recently beginning alternative medicine, using Chinese herbs. A couple of years and thousands of dollars later, the couple’s doctor informed them, that while he never expected them to reach this point, his best recommendation is IVF, based on the unexplained lack of success with other treatment options. The couple knew IVF was not an option they could afford and reluctantly decided to take time off from fertility treatments.
In the midst of the couple’s struggle, they heard about the Parental Hope Family Grant and anxiously applied, hoping for a chance to follow their doctor’s recommendation to try IVF. They agreed that this would be the only grant they would apply to, given the financial hardship brought on by the combination of infertility bills and unexpected large expenses. After months of praying and almost giving up hope, God answered the couple’s prayers and the two were, unexpectedly, one of the couples awarded this grant.
“We feel so blessed to be a part of the Parental Hope family and thankful that Parental Hope has renewed our dream of starting a family of our own. We thank God every day, for bringing us together, keeping us strong, blessing us with this opportunity and answering our prayers.”