(WN): One Texas couple is finally expecting
not just one, but two babies, after struggling with infertility for two years. Lauren
Walker shared her story, with a moving photo featuring two onesies and 452
needles used for her In-Vitro Fertilization treatments in a photo that has
since gone viral on Facebook.
"We prayed for 953 days.452 Needles,
1000's of tears, 1 corrective surgery, 4 clomid/letrozole attempts, 2 IVF
rounds, 3 failed transfers and & 1 Amazing GOD," the yoga instructor
wrote as a caption before explaining her inspirational journey. Walker, 28, had
been trying to have a child with her high school sweetheart, Garyt, since 2014.
It’s a story of heartbreak, anguish, and
finally joy: a couple in Texas has posted a picture on Facebook that truly is
worth a thousand words, and gives hope to those that have struggled to become
president. Lauren and Garyt Walker posted a picture of onesies with the words
“worth the wait” surrounded by hundreds of used in vitro fertilization needles.
The image quickly went viral on social media.
The picture told the story of a couple that had spent 953 days and 452 IVF
injections trying to get a child, and finally being rewarded with not just one
baby, but two. Duke and Diana will be born this August if all goes according to
plan.
Lauren wrote her story on her Facebook page
in detail. She says she’s hopeful that their story will inspire many others
trying for a baby to keep up the fight, and eventually it will pay off.
Lauren’s full story is below.
We prayed for 953 days.
452 Needles
1000’s of tears
1 corrective surgery
4 clomid/letrozole attempts
2 IVF rounds
3 failed transfers
& 1 Amazing GOD.
We are overwhelmed with joy to finally
announce that we are expecting boy/girl Twins!
Duke &
Diana Walker – August 2017
We thought about how to announce our two
miracles to the world. Everything we could think of fell short of doing them
justice. Doing ourselves justice, for every trial and tribulation we have been
through these past years. Taking out these needles by the handful to take this
photograph was surreal.
Half way through my hands started to quiver,
my breath got short, and I had to stop. I sat down, looked at it and started to
cry. Not because I was sad about what it took to get here, but because it was a
representation of my world, our world, for the past over two and a half years
staring back at me. There was a lot of pain, hope, and fear behind each of
these needles.
Each one representes a different day, a
different path, a different emotion. It’s a lot to take in. After a good cry,
the more I looked at it, the more the needles started to blur together. Now all
I see are these tiny onesies that so perfectly sum up our journey: Worth the
wait. And wait, and wait, and wait.
The hardest part of this journey wasn’t
having to do IVF. Getting to that fork in the road is heartbreaking and
difficult for anyone, but it was not my darkest hour. My darkest hour was going
through an entire cycle and losing embryo after embryo; 5. Coming so far only
to miscarry.
Getting to where all the hope, the money, all
of what could have been your children were gone. The End. “We are so sorry Mrs.
Walker, but your last attempt was unsuccessful.” I remember that day. It was
two days before Christmas, 2015. I thought I was in a dream.
Or maybe a silent nightmare. Feeling broken
and empty physically, emotionally, and above all, spiritually. I remember
nights clutching my shattered heart and empty belly and crying. no, screaming
out to God asking him “Why?” “What’s wrong with me?” “What more do you want
from me?” “I’ve done everything.”
My
faith was tested every. single. time. My heart told me to keep going. Not to
give up or give in. Some days I look back and I can’t believe I made it. No, I
don’t mean that as in I finally got pregnant. I mean, I MADE it. I’m stronger.
It didn’t break me. The prize is not these twins. The prize is discovering new
found faith.
The GIFT is these twins. I didn’t know I was
capable of such strength and fight. I DO know it was Garyts support and Gods
holy spirit holding my hand every step of the way. Friends and family were
there to cheer us on, helping me climb this Goliath of a mountain in front of
me. Putting one foot in front of the other, most of the time feeling completely
blind.
The days I slipped (and oh, there were many)
and thought I couldn’t go on, my husband was there to catch me and prevent me
from falling. Garyt Walker, you are the most patient, wise, and steadfast
person to ever walk this earth. You truly have walked every step of the way by
my side.
God knew exactly what he was doing when he
mapped out our lives as husband and wife. I can walk into parenthood with you
by my side never having to question or doubt God’s plan for us and our growing
family. Trusting Him in everything. What an amazing gift and life lesson to
have already learned.
They say God only gives you as much as you
can handle. Well, He must think very highly of us. As painful as these few
years have been, I’m honored that he chose this path for me. He has shown me
the power of faith, the comfort of prayer, and a strength I would have never
found on my own. On top of all that, he has blessed us with not one miracle but
Two.
When I saw that first ultrasound and held
their picture I remember crying.. shaking.. looking at them and saying over and
over “Mommy loves you. Mommy loves you both so so much.” I could barely get the
words out. God chose ME to be their mother on HIS time.
He chose ME to be Garyt’s wife. I feel like
I’ve won the life-lottery. I carry battle scars on my heart that will always
remind me of what it took to receive these two precious blessings. And I would
do this 2,000 times over and over, again and again.
We had sooo many people praying for us. We
thank each and every one of you from the bottom of our hearts. I cannot express
that enough. Even strangers on prayer chains from our friends and families.
There were many setbacks and road blocks put in our path: Unresponsive trigger
attempts, rescued egg retrieval, uterine septums, hyper-stimulations, drug
immunities, clotting issues, etc.
The way our doctor put it is “yes these
things are rare, but not unheard of. What’s rare is having it all happen to the
same person.” Even though it was a tough pill to swallow, it made me that much
more determined. I knew all these trials were grooming me to be a mother of
something mighty and fierce. Twins, no doubt! I knew deep in my bones that
light was at the end of this darkness. Even though there were days filled with
doubt. We just had to Keep The Faith.
For anyone struggling, may our story give you
comfort and hope. They say “When you ask God for something He either says ‘yes’
and gives it to you. Or he says ‘ok’ and makes you wait. Or he says ‘no’, makes
you wait longer, and gives you something better.” Had he answered or prayers
way back then, in 2015, we wouldn’t have these two angels on their way today.
They would be different children and we would have a different life. He was
making us wait for THEM. And when we hold them in our arms and kiss their tiny
noses, all His plans and all our dreams will have come true.
And finally, my devoted and steadfast
husband. When you love someone so much, you want to give them the world in
return. But what happens when you can’t? No matter how hard you try, how much
money you spend, how much pain you’ve endured only to fail over and over again.
I would watch him play with my friends babies
and wanted to give him a son or daughter of his own. It’s so much more than
“pouring salt in a wound”. it’s an indescribable pain.
A few friends noticed his strength and pulled
me aside and said “if this were to ever happen to me, I pray that my husband
handles it like Garyt has”. Even one of my doctors said to us “If all my
patients husbands acted like Garyt did, my job would be so much more tolerable
during the “tough months/years”.
Garyt, words
cannot express how truly amazing you are.
He is patient when I am not. But what’s more
so is that he teaches me how to be patient. He’s calm. He’s gentle in his
wording. He knows how to communicate with me when it feels like everyone else
is just taking in rhyme. Even when he is hurting too, he is only concerned
about me.
Which then makes me concerned about him, thus
some nights we just spend taking care of each other. Those nights are hard, but
the most special. He’s my pill reminder. My patch reminder. My personal
pharmacist. He’s my shot drawer-upper and often shot provider. He’s my daily
pep-talk. My motivator. He’s my reason for being so strong.
He’s my husband and the father of my
children. He’s my everything. These babies don’t know how incredibly lucky they
are to have him as a daddy. I love you so much. I cannot wait for this new
adventure. Duke & Diana, you are already so loved. You are “fearfully and
wonderfully made.” Mommy and Daddy cannot wait to hold you in our arms, for we
have carried you in our hearts for a lifetime.
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