To all the couples out there battling infertility, make that first appointment and begin your journey.

I’d rather live with knowing the answers than live with the question of “what if.” This is the story of our journey to parenthood, and we hope it gives you the inspiration to start your own journey.

The date was May 11th, 2013 when Brad and I met. The amazing man who is now my husband and father to our beautiful baby girl. We were both college graduates with our careers in order when fate brought us together. However, I was 29, recently divorced and very much aware I had fertility issues.

In my previous marriage, we attempted to conceive for two years with no luck. A laparoscopy revealed minimal endometriosis with a couple of large cysts. The cysts were removed and the prognosis was my first glimpse of hope in conceiving. Little did I know it would be the beginning of my infertility battle.

An additional year passed and still no pregnancy. After our marriage ended I was lost. Here I was at 28 divorced, with fertility issues. I didn’t understand my purpose in life. All I ever wanted was to be a wife and mother and at the time it seemed I had failed at both.

Then I met Brad. We dated for about a year before I even discussed my infertility history with him. I was so scared he wouldn’t want to be with me after I told him. He had stated on several occasions how he could see himself being a dad one day. It was killing me inside more everyday keeping my secret from him. One day I just blurted out “Brad, I don’t think I can have children!” As I started to cry, he took my hand and told me he loved me. He stated that God’s timing is always perfect, just like when we first met. I knew then our future would be so bright.

On February 2nd, 2015 I became Mrs. Brad Deville. The second best day of my life. We wasted no time trying for a baby. One month, two months, three months, then four months passed. We weren’t having any luck conceiving. We decided to not waste any more time finding the best fertility doctor out there.

Finding the right fertility specialist was key for us. After weeks of research, speaking to other couples battling infertility, and reading review after review, I picked up the phone and made my initial appointment with Dr. John Storment. After meeting with him and his staff, my husband and I felt at home and for once were hopeful. Although I was one of his patients who fell into the “unexplained” infertility category, I refused to give up and remained positive.

Then on June 23rd, 2015, my world suddenly stopped. My brother, best friend, my person in life was gone, killed in a vehicle accident while on his way to work. I didn’t understand why. You’re not supposed to question God, but I was so broken and empty. What did I do to deserve such loss?? I didn’t understand but knew my faith was strong. I was going to pick myself up, and continue my journey. I wrote a letter to my brother the night before his funeral. In that letter I asked him to please keep me strong, hold my hand, and ask God to send us our baby. I placed that letter in his casket the next day.

A few months after my brother’s funeral we tried to conceive through IUI and failed. It was a hard blow, but we weren’t stopping. We asked Dr. Storment about other options. We could either attempt another IUI or try more aggressive treatment with in vitro fertilization that gave us better chances. Knowing we had only a certain amount of funds set aside for fertility treatment, my husband and I discussed our options. We decided to go big or go home. We wanted to do IVF. This was it!

We soon began the preparation for IVF, starting injections for our egg retrieval. Dr. Storment’s ultrasound tech Lauren always kept us positive during our weekly scans looking for the perfect follicles. When all seemed perfect we had our egg retrieval. Then the wait to see if and how many of our embryos were of quality to transfer.

Less than a week later we got the call. We had six high grade embryos and we were ecstatic! Aware of the possibility of twins, we decided on transferring two embryos and freezing the rest for later. From the moment I left the hospital, I knew I was pregnant. For the first time in my life, I felt complete without worry. I believe staying positive during this phase was crucial. Never one time did I doubt I was pregnant. I just knew my brother wouldn’t want for me to go through more heartache and he was going to make sure we would get our baby.

The wait to find out if I was truly pregnant was the longest 10 days of my life. The days seemed like weeks. But on November 18th (my mom’s birthday) we found out we were pregnant. Out of the two embryos, one had implanted and our miracle was finally on the way.

I can’t thank Dr. Storment and his staff enough. Their guidance, professionalism, and encouraging words helped us every step of the way. I was blessed with a wonderful healthy pregnancy. In July 2016 our beautiful baby girl came into this world. When the nurse placed her in my arms, all I could do was cry with joy. My first words to her were “mommy has waited for you for so long baby girl…I love you Jolie Claire.” She is my saving grace and a blessing from the heavens.

We hope our story has given you the inspiration to either begin or continue your journey and to search for the answers. And last, but most importantly, never give up hope!