The Beginning
Stacey and Jason met while working in 2003. Stacey was working for a company that used services provided by the company where Jason was working at. The two often spoke on the phone for work-related reasons. As time went on, the two finally met after Stacey traveled to Dallas, Texas where Jason was residing. “I was like her tour guide,” Jason laughed. Shortly after that trip, Jason then traveled to visit Stacey in Delaware where she was residing. By this time, Jason knew he wanted to move to Delaware to live with Stacey. However, Stacey and Jason’s love story didn’t end here.
Upon Jason’s move, Stacey had to tell him something. “At this point, he was moving to a new state, so I knew I needed to be upfront,” Stacey explained. Stacey told Jason about her fertility problems, and that she ultimately could not carry a baby. Stacey was born with two uteruses and suffered from extreme endometriosis, a disorder in which tissue that normally lines the inside of the uterus, grows outside the uterus. By 20-years-old, Stacey knew that she would not be able to give birth to a baby. Most likely stemming from this couple’s positive outlook on life, Jason said that wasn’t a problem. After Jason moved to Delaware, the couple decided they wanted to expand their family. They started to explore their options.
Adoption?
Stacey was voted “Most Likely To Have The Most Children” in high school, and was always the neighborhood babysitter. A strong passion for family, love, and children was always instilled. As a result, Stacey and Jason looked into surrogacy briefly and ultimately decided adoption was what they wanted to do. “Two of my cousins were adopted, so I was always familiar with the world of it and believed it was a positive thing,” Jason explained. The couple interviewed with multiple adoption agencies but weren’t feeling a connection. “It wasn’t until we spoke with Marilyn, an Adoptions From The Heart social worker, that we felt like we were at the right place,” the couple said. Marilyn made them feel at ease by educating them about all the aspects of adoption. There was not one leaf left unturned. All of their questions, concerns, and curiosities were answered and addressed.
Placement
The first time the couple met with Marilyn was in December of 2015. All of their paperwork was completed and they went live in the books later that year in April. Throughout the year, the couple had a few disappointments. They received calls saying they were placed and then something came up disappointing the placement. These disappointments were something Stacey and Jason were becoming used to. Eventually, that all changed. Stacey and Jason got a call from Marilyn informing them that they were placed. Accustomed to disappointments, the couple asked for the details of the placement. To their surprise, Marilyn responded, “Your baby was born yesterday and the mother is being discharged today. Can you be in Pittsburgh tomorrow?” With that being said, the couple was beyond excited and knew this was going to be the real deal! However, there was one problem. Jason was in Washington, DC for work and Stacey was in Las Vegas, Nevada, also for work. After the phone call with Marilyn, Stacey and Jason set out to create a plan to travel to Pittsburgh.
In the meantime…
Stacey had to attend one last work meeting in Vegas before leaving. She arrived at the meeting and immediately apologized for her appearance as she had tears in her eyes. She informed her prospect that she was going to be a mother tomorrow. “In my head I was thinking, this guy probably thinks I’m crazy, considering I have no baby bump,” Stacey laughed. To her surprise, her prospect responded, “My wife and I adopted our boys! Congratulations.” The two started talking about adoption and their experiences thus far. Her prospect explained that his boys were adopted through Adoptions From The Heart in PA. At this point, Stacey was completely shocked. Stacey had just got off the phone with Marilyn twenty minutes ago with the placement news, and now she was talking to a man who has lived out her dream. What are the odds! “Do you know the gender of your baby?” Stacey’s prospect asked. Laughing, Stacey responded, “Well, considering we are in Vegas and you adopted through the same agency and state, I would be willing to bet we’re going to have a baby boy!”
Baby Boy
The following day, Stacey and Jason arrived in Pittsburgh. They went to the hospital and met their baby boy, Lincoln. “Lincoln brings so much joy to our lives. We can’t even imagine what life was like before having him,” the couple explained. After a year of working through the adoption process, Stacey and Jason’s family grew by one.
#NIAW
In light of National Infertility Awareness Week, Stacey provided some advice for anyone facing fertility issues. “Have everything checked out early and get second opinions. It’s important to get as much information as possible so you know exactly what is going on and what your options are,” Stacey said. Adoptions From The Heart is working to empower others, educate, and change the conversation of infertility. We can all be here for one another. Throughout the week of April 19th – 25th, check out AFTH’s social media accounts and use the hashtag #InfertilityExplained for more posts like this.
