Zack first met at church and spent many years as friends before we began dating in 2020.
Our relationship grew quickly, and we were married in 2021. At the time, we decided to wait about a year before trying to start a family. We knew, however, that our path to parenthood would look different from most.
As a teenager, I underwent chemotherapy and was told that having biological children would likely not be possible for me. While that news was difficult to process, the desire to one day carry and raise a child never left my heart.
I was first introduced to embryo adoption through a friend who shared about the Snowflakes Program.
From the moment I learned about it, I felt an immediate sense of hope. The idea of carrying a child, even if not biologically mine, felt like a beautiful and meaningful answer to a long-held desire.
After much prayer and thoughtful consideration, Zack and I joined the Snowflakes Program in July 2023. We were overjoyed to take this step toward growing our family through embryo adoption. We were blessed to match quickly with an incredible placing family and adopted six embryos.
Our journey was not without heartbreak. Our first two embryo transfers ended in miscarriage, and we began to wonder if this path would ever lead us to parenthood. By the time we arrived at the clinic for our third transfer in February 2025, hope felt fragile. As we pulled into the parking lot, snow began to fall. A gentle, unexpected reminder to us that God was still with us in the midst of uncertainty.
On Valentine’s Day, we received the joyful news that our first beta test was positive. We were pregnant.
That day also marked the one-year anniversary of our embryos arriving at the clinic, another sweet reminder of God’s faithfulness and perfect timing.
On September 27, we welcomed our daughter, Riley Ann, into the world. She is the greatest blessing we could have imagined, and life without her is unimaginable. While we knew in our hearts that we could deeply love a child who was not biologically ours, we were amazed by how quickly and completely we bonded with her.
Looking back, we are so grateful that we did not lose hope during a long and difficult fertility journey. We are forever thankful for the Snowflakes Embryo Adoption Program and for the placing family who so generously chose to bless us with their embryos. Their decision changed our lives and gave us our daughter.
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.
Recent Comments