This pair met at Zack’s family’s restaurant when Jessie applied for a job in high school. It was all history from there and they have been together for 10 years and married six.
Nearing the end of Jessie’s nursing school journey, the couple decided it was time to begin trying to start a family and if it didn’t happen immediately, they had gotten a head start on the attempt…but surely it would happen, right? After about a year of no success, they decided it was time to seek help. After much testing, they received a diagnosis of male factor infertility. With the help of the Institute for Reproductive Health, they attempted an IVF cycle. Their first IVF attempt was unsuccessful. No pregnancy and no frozen embryos. The couple was devastated and decided it was best to take some time to figure out the next steps and wait for a sign to try again. The financial aspect of this process was burden enough the first time, let alone trying to figure out how to afford a second IVF cycle. In this nearly two year wait, Zack started a new job as an apprentice lineman and Jessie was able to go back to school to complete her bachelor’s degree to become a registered nurse.
“We had known about the grant last year but didn’t make the deadline, so this year, we knew we had to apply. We are so thankful we did. Looking back, I really feel like our first attempt wasn’t our time, but this time, we have HOPE.”
As Thomas Rhett sings, “You never know what’s gonna happen. You make your plans and you hear God laughing.” With each trial we have faced, we are reminded that these simply aren’t our plans but God’s plans and there is a lesson to be learned with all of them.