jessica
Family Desires
One dream that most couples cherish is starting a family. While some young lovers jump right in after marriage, some like to carefully plan, allowing their careers to unfold first before thinking of children. Unfortunately, for some couples, when the right time comes hard realities set in due to infertility or simply difficulty conceiving. This can be devastating for some marriages where the funds are not available for expensive fertility treatments.
A Dream Shattered
When Annie and Joby Johnston discovered they weren’t able to have a child on their own due to Annie’s infertility, they were absolutely heartbroken. All they wanted since marriage was a child of their own. However, all hope was not lost…you won’t believe how much their lives changed when one special person stepped in to make their dreams come true.
Career First, Children Second
It was 2005 when Annie and Joby Johnston decided to tie the knot in their hometown of Ohio. Not wanting to jump into children right away, the couple focused on their careers for three years, never doubting they would ever have a problem conceiving. And why would they? Both of them were healthy, and had no history of health problems that would ever affect getting pregnant.
Four Years of Disappointment
Unfortunately, the couple learned the hard way that getting pregnant simply wasn’t possible. For four years, Annie and Joby tried to conceive a child. They tried surgery, artificial insemination, and in-vitro fertilization, but sadly nothing worked. They began to give up hope that they would ever have a family of their own.
A Selfless Offer
Annie’s older sister Chrissy came forward because she could not bear the pain her little sister continued to endure with every failed treatment. Understanding the commitment, she offered to carry a child for Annie and Joby. However, they didn’t take her seriously at the time. Two years later, they would finally be ready.
The Last Resort
According to Annie, Chrissy was her last resort. She told Good Morning America in an interview that she grew tired of doing the same thing and expecting the results to be different. After nearly giving up, she decided it was time to consider her older sister’s offer more seriously.
Joys of Motherhood
Chrissy, who was 37 at the time, had two young sons and hated to think that Annie would miss out on the pure bliss of motherhood. It wasn’t a choice in her mind, if she didn’t step up and volunteer to carry a child, Annie and Joby most likely would never be parents and for Chrissy that was unacceptable.
Implantation Success
After years of struggle, Annie and Joby’s chances of having a child came down to Chrissy. On February 19, 2013, Chrissy was implanted with two fertilized embryos. Now they could only wait and pray that the fertilized embryos would take and a child would be on the way.
The Process
The fertilization process began by taking two eggs from Annie’s ovaries and fertilizing them with a sample of Joby’s sperm. These eggs were then implanted into Chrissy’s uterus.
A Higher Chance of Success
Due to the fact that both Annie and Chrissy were on the same cycle, the doctors decided to make one last ditch effort and implanted two fertilized eggs into Annie as well. Even though she was deemed unable to have children, they figured four eggs would increase their chances. At this point, what did they have to lose?
An Unexpected Shock
According to Annie, due to how long they tried to have a child, they wanted to increase their chances of at least having one egg taking. After a few weeks, both women decided to check in with Dr. Jain Lindauer to see if the implantation was a success. You won’t believe the shock these two women were in for.
Great News
Doctors had warned both Annie and Chrissy that there was a very slight possibility the eggs could take in both women. Of course, with Annie’s struggles, they never thought it was a possibility. So when their doctor started off by saying, “We have double the great news…” they were absolutely stunned.
Seeing Double
Not only is the procedure successful, but both women conceive on the same day with one egg, each having a successful implantation. Annie’s dream is finally coming true—only she’s about have DOUBLE the fun! However, another shock is about to come that will really surprise everyone!
It’s Twins!
At the women’s seventh week check-up the doctor discovered that both eggs implanted in Annie had been successfully implanted, they found not one, but two heartbeats. Annie was going to have twins! Next up for her exam was Chrissy, who was about to get a surprise of her own.
Two Mothers, Four Babies
According to Chrissy, the look on the doctor’s face said it all, after performing the ultrasound they were able to confirm that Chrissy was having twins as well. After five years of trying so hard for a baby without success, Annie was about to be a mother of four!
The Family They Always Wanted
Over the next nine months, the women helped each other and were pillars of support. They even found out they were having a set of twin boys and a set of twin girls! On October 24, 2013, both Chrissy and Annie gave birth to four healthy babies. The babies were named Tommy, Charley, Grace and Hadley. After years of pain and despair, this couple finally got their happy ending and the family they always dreamed of.
Brittany
Silvia
