Candi and Chuck Meck met while both working at the grocery store 20+ years ago. “Chuck came to the store and delivered the milk. I always say that I married the milkman,” Candi laughed. The happy couple now has a 5-year-old daughter named Camryn.
However, the Meck’s family story isn’t quite so simple. Rewinding about 15 years ago, Candi and Chuck knew they wanted to expand their family. They tried to conceive for a few years but weren’t having luck. They had one pregnancy, but it ended in a miscarriage. With all their complications, they started visiting fertility specialist doctors. They started to pursue fertility testing in hopes to discover what their complications consisted of. “We didn’t do treatments and we were never officially diagnosed, but we knew even if we found the reason for infertility, that our insurance didn’t cover procedures,” Candi explained. After a few years of testing with no answers, the couple decided to close the door on meeting with fertility doctors.
When one door closes, another one opens. The couple started to think about adoption. Adoption was always something Candi considered due to her older cousin adopting children. “My cousin also had fertility issues and adopted children through Adoptions From The Heart, so it was always something I knew about and had a connection to,” Candi said. After a year of getting everything approved, they were officially in the books.
Once they were in the books, the adoption process took about 2 ½ years. At this point, they were 10 years into trying to expand their family. Despite their timeline, they remained hopeful that they would soon have an addition to their family. That day finally came. Camryn was born. The Meck’s rushed to the hospital to find their new baby girl in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) ready to be loved. Camryn was just 24 hours old when Candi and Chuck met their daughter.
When deciding on a name for their daughter, they knew they wanted her first name to begin with a C. As a result, they would all have C names. “I chose Camryn’s middle name, Elaine. I chose Elaine because it is also my middle name, along with my mother and mother-in-law’s middle name as well,” Candi explained. With that being said, the name “Camryn” was Chuck’s choice!
“Camryn is now 5 going on 25,” Candi laughed. She is a sassy, silly, and sensitive girl who makes the Meck family beyond happy. “When I think about our adoption story, I think about family and love,” Candi said. Adoption is love!
As a mother who has experience with infertility, Candi has advice for other struggling mothers. “Find that support. Whether it be a support group or a counselor, it’s important to release your emotions, knowing that your words are safe to express,” Candi said. Candi is relieved to know that the conversation of infertility is changing. Oftentimes, people don’t talk about infertility because it is a sensitive and difficult conversation to have. Adoptions From The Heart is working to change the conversation, empower people affected, and educate others.
