Josh and Cori met twelve years ago at Miami University. After five years of marriage, they began trying to expand their family. For over a year, they attempted to conceive a child to no avail at which point they were referred to the Institute for Reproductive Health (IRH). After running some standard tests, Josh was diagnosed with CVABD due to inheriting a recessive cystic fibrosis (CF) gene. After receiving the diagnosis they were informed that, the only way to conceive a biological child was to undergo TESA and IVF with ICSI.
Additionally, Cori underwent genetic testing to ensure she was not a CF carrier. Thankfully genetic testing determined she is not a CF carrier so the couple felt confident to begin saving for IVF, an endeavor they anticipated to take roughly two to three years.
While they continued to save, Josh and Cori focused on enjoying their life as a duo and minimizing any frustration or negativity brought on by the situation. On occasion, Cori would search available grants and support networks for couples facing similar obstacles. One such search led her to Parental Hope through IRH’s website.
Unfortunately, when she discovered the Parental Hope Grant the initial application deadline had passed for that year, but reading the Grant Recipients’ stories renewed their feeling of hope. That hope guided them to purchase two IVF raffle tickets at the Journey to Parenthood event. Little did they know how their luck would change that night…
Winning the IVF Raffle has been a blessing neither of them could have anticipated. Upon hearing her name called out, Cori, was in utter disbelief, but also thought of all the other couples who were not as fortunate that evening. Both Josh and Cori want to thank Parental Hope and IRH for allowing them the opportunity to pursue their dream of building a family and encourage other couples battling infertility to remain hopeful as they navigate their path to parenthood.
***Cori & Josh welcomed their son, Wyatt Joseph on July 25, 2018!