Maggie and Anthony met in 2007 in high school and became quick best friends. Little did they know they would end up married in March of 2016. Anthony is a civil engineer, and Maggie teaches 8th grade Language Arts and co-hosts a true crime podcast. Both Maggie and Anthony grew up in Eastern Kentucky and still have strong ties to their family there. Together, they love to spend time with family, play with their animals, and watch movies.
Maggie and Anthony both had set goals they wanted to meet before starting a family. When those goals were achieved they began trying in 2018. The couple was ecstatic when eight months later they were blessed with a positive pregnancy test. Sadly, they would go on to miscarry at eight weeks. They were devastated.
Through the process of miscarriage, Maggie was diagnosed with endometriosis. Months passed, then a year went by and no positive pregnancy test. The couple reached out to their OB/GYN and were told to try Clomid. They did for several months with no success. They were assured that IUIs were the solution to their infertility. Three IUIs later they still had no baby. The couple was then referred to IRH. After meeting with Dr. Awadalla, it was determined that IVF would be the best route for them to take.
The team at IRH retrieved 37 eggs on retrieval day and 22 of those made it to the stage to be frozen for transfer. Maggie and Anthony had their first transfer on July 7, 2022. Several people they know had gotten pregnant with their first IVF transfer and they knew they would too. Sadly, though, the first transfer was unsuccessful. They were then told that genetic testing was recommended on their remaining embryos. That cost plus the cost of a frozen embryo transfer was unmanageable given all the other infertility bills the two are still paying.
That’s when IRH recommended Parental Hope. They applied for the 2022 Fall grant on the recommendation of the nursing staff at IRH.
“We have never hidden our struggles with infertility because when we first started down this road, we felt so alone. We never want anyone going through this to think they are battling alone. Parental Hope has welcomed us into the support system we always needed. Without the help of Parental Hope we feared that our lives would never be complete because we long to be parents. But now that we are receiving this assistance we finally feel a sense of hope that one day our dreams will come true. Parental Hope has not only created a peace of mind during our financial hardships, they have also provided a peace of mind during the hardest season of our lives through their unending love and support. Thank you, Parental Hope!”