Kelly and Rob’s journey began a long, long time ago! They dated back in their early 20’s then sadly, went their separate ways. After several years of growing and maturing it seemed that time reunited them; Rob had been deployed to Kuwait & Iraq and Kelly began corresponding with him. That time spent writing back and forth allowed them to get to know one another all over again.
In 2011, Kelly and Rob married, thus beginning the journey of starting a family, a passion and dream they both have always shared. They were excited to begin trying right away and discovered in November of 2012 they were pregnant with a boy, Liam. Kelly and Rob were over the moon as first-time parents and beyond in love with their little man. Their world, however, quickly changed and joy turned to fear and uncertainty as by the end of Liam’s first year of life he underwent three surgeries and was diagnosed with a rare, genetic condition called Lowe Syndrome. The heartache that followed watching their little baby go through surgery and knowing that he will be battling a medical condition his entire life is truly devastating.
After some time, Kelly and Rob had settled into their new normal and slowly began discussing the possibility of once again growing their family only to discover that Kelly is a carrier for Lowe Syndrome. Knowing what their son has endured and foreseeing the battles he will face throughout his life, for Kelly and Rob, means they cannot risk putting another one of their children through the possibility of being affected by this horrible condition.
In order to have a healthy child, Kelly and Rob’s only option is IVF with preimplantation genetic testing. Last year, Kelly and Rob endured two failed rounds of IVF, never making it to the implant phase. These two rounds were not covered by insurance and drained their entire savings making the dream to have another child seem to fade away. This was a devastating time for the family, but they kept fighting. Kelly and Rob decided to research non-profits that could aid with another attempt. They discovered Parental Hope and it seemed to be a perfect fit, so Kelly and Rob applied.
“The application process was both exciting and terrifying, but provided us with a newfound feeling of HOPE in the difficult journey of raising our son with special needs while also fighting to grow our family.”