Our journey began in 2014 when we decided it was time to start a family.
We tried and tried, but after four years with no success, we finally decided to stop “trying.” Our fertility clinic suggested IVF, and we felt it was time to give it a shot (pun intended). To our joy, that cycle blessed us with our first daughter, Abrie, and two years later, Charlotte.
However, we were left with four remaining embryos, which overwhelmed us.
We had never envisioned having a large family, but as Christians, the idea of discarding the embryos or donating them to science did not sit right. Feeling stuck, we did what many couples in our position do—we paid the embryo storage fees and put off the decision.
Sometime later, we stumbled upon an infertility documentary called One More Shot. For the first time, we began to consider embryo donation as an option. Seeing another family successfully adopt and give birth to donated embryos made us rethink our hesitation. However, the idea of our biological child being born to a family we did not know made us uncomfortable, we prayed for clarity. Slowly, God softened our hearts, and we became more at peace with the idea.
Our fertility clinic introduced us to the Snowflakes Embryo Adoption Program, which facilitates embryo adoptions.
We did not fully understand what we were stepping into at first—we thought it would be a simple process like sperm donation, where we would sign over the embryos and never hear about them again. To our surprise, Snowflakes is an open adoption program, allowing us to choose the adoptive family and maintain communication if we wished. Looking back, I believe God guided us through this, because as we learned more, our hearts became more open.
Before long, we were matched with an amazing adoptive family in Texas, and it was almost unbelievable how well Snowflakes paired us. We had so much in common, and we clicked instantly. We eagerly said yes. The adoptive family reviewed our profile and graciously accepted our embryos.
The first three transfers were unsuccessful, but the final attempt brought a miracle. In May 2024, they welcomed a beautiful baby girl, Stella, into the world. We are overjoyed, knowing that this family can give Stella the love and attention she deserves, even more than we could have.
Our relationship with the adoptive family has grown over time—what began with letters evolved into emails, texts, and even FaceTime calls. We hope to meet them in person one day soon. Our daughters, Abrie and Charlotte, will grow up knowing and loving their “sorta sister,” Stella.
During our struggle with infertility, I used to ask God, “Why us?” Now, looking back, I smile because I know why. God chose us for Stella.
It was always for Stella.
Do you have an embryo adoption or donation story? Send your story and photos to us! Post them yourself via Facebook or email us your story and we will make it available on our Family Stories page, found on our website.
Email Paige@nightlight.org and help another family build their embryo donation or adoption story.
To learn about embryo donation and adoption, visit EmbryoAdoption.org.
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