Lachlan's Story

In light of the incredibly craptacular week we've had...I needed a good reminder of how blessed we truly are. I have been working on this story for awhile and planned on posting it for The Bug's 1st Birthday. But for whatever reason, it didn't feel like it was the right time to post. However, last night as I cried myself to sleep, I knew it was the right time. It is quite lengthy, but so was creating the miracle that is our Bug.

Reading it again before I publish it, I'm crying. But, now they are tears of gratitude and love. Not tears of anger or grief. Which is always a good thing.


September 2009
I've been wanting to write out Lachlan's story for while now. I keep referring to him as our Miracle Baby, but I feel I need to explain why he truly is a miracle.

I write this so other couples who maybe experiencing infertility might find some answers. I know not everyone's infertility can be solved the same way ours was, but I hope it helps someone. If you're reading this and have questions or know someone who might benefit from our experience, please feel free to comment.

I also would like to have this story written down for Lachlan. I want him to read it later in life so he will know how hard we worked for him, and how much we wanted him in our home.

I hope we have other children who can read this and know this story is for them as well.

So...here is Lachlan's Story:

To tell the whole story I would have to go back to the spring of 1989 when I was told by a Dr. at the University of Utah I would never have my own children. I was born with a uterine anomaly she said was uncorrectable. She informed me I should be nice to my sister's, because they would mostly likely be my surrogate mothers. She told my mother one of my options was to perform a hysterectomy. I was 12. My mother refused that option, knowing there would be medical advances and I would someday be able to have my own children.

I had received a Father's Blessing the night before we went to Utah. He said I would be able to have children of my own. I also received my Patriarchal blessing about 2 years later, and it also stated I would have special spirit's selected and sent to my companion and I. So...I knew I would someday have children. I just had to be patient...and faithful.

Fast forward to 1996. Through incredible miracles of their own and the persistence of my mother, we found a Dr. in Pocatello, Idaho...where I was going to college. This Dr. had trained with the top reproductive surgeon in the nation down in Houston, Texas. He told us there was indeed a procedure to correct the anomaly I was born with, but he didn't feel he had the support staff to perform that surgical procedure in Idaho. So, off to Houston I flew with my parents. On June 26, 1996 I had the surgery to correct the anomaly they thought I had. However, another miracle occurred. I did not have the particular anomaly they thought I had. I had a much less severe anomaly which only need half the surgical time to correct and less than half the hospital stay and recovery. My Dr. informed my parents I would probably need a trans-abdominal cerclage later in life to sustain a pregnancy, but there was no reason I shouldn't be able to have my own children.

I served a mission, graduated from college, and worked for 2 years teaching before I finally found my best friend. Shayne & I married in January of 2005 and because of the whirlwind romance and marriage we had, we decided to wait at least a year before truly trying to have children. I knew from my medical history getting pregnant might not be a walk in the park for me, so I was prepared mentally and emotionally to deal with infertility. However, this was all new for Shayne. When we didn't get pregnant half-way through our second year of marriage I started the process of infertility diagnostics.

We ended up moving to Soldotna, AK in the fall of 2006. This proved to be a truly inspired move, and evidence the Lord did want Shayne & I to have children. In our small town of Soldotna, was a Dr. who performed In-Vitro Fertilization (IVF). Not only did he perform IVF, he charges only a 10th of what the national average was. Instead of charging $10,000-$15,000 for one round of IVF, he charged $1800 not including the medication. And...not only did he perform IVF, he was a member of our church and was in our ward. Dr. Nels Anderson became our miracle worker.

In late January of 2007 Shayne also had some testing done. We received the results the first week of February and they were not good. Dr. Anderson informed us Shayne & I were completely infertile. There was a 0% chance we could have our own children from the testing he had. We were devastated. We were angry. We were confused. But, we knew our Heavenly Father wanted us to have children, so we remained faithful. We started looking into adoption and even into foster care as a means to bring those children into our home. However, I was not satisfied nor comfortable with the information we had been given. This is where I went to work.

I started doing a massive amount of research on the Internet looking up the particular result of Shayne's tests. I also started to study up on Shayne's other medical condition.

Shayne was born with a severe congenital heart condition and had open heart surgery at 20 months old to reconstruct his heart. During this time his lungs and his entire respiratory tract had filled with fluid. He also had ear infection after ear infection. They attributed this to the heart condition. And because he never recovered fully with a clear respiratory tract and ear infections they assumed it was permanent damage from his heart condition. To this day Shayne sounds like he has a bronchitis and a sinusitis with some hearing loss in one ear from the ear infections.

As I started doing research and putting all of his symptoms together along with the results from the most recent test, I started to feel very strongly he had a genetic condition called Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia.

I printed off a bunch of information from medical journals for Dr. Anderson to read, but wasn't sure how to approach him with it. At church about 2 weeks after being told we were completely infertile, Dr. Anderson stopped me in the hall and asked us to come over to his house that evening to talk about it. He could tell we were pretty devastated. I ended up taking the information I had compiled to his house that night. As we all sat there talking I brought up my suspicions to Dr. Anderson. He was skeptical but took the information and said he would read it. The next Sunday, he stopped Shayne in the hall and told him he was pretty sure I had nailed the diagnosis on the head. He was convinced, as I was, that Shayne did have Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia.

Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia, or PCD, is when the hair-like structures on your respiratory cells, called cilia, either don't move at all or don't work together because the mechanism in their "motor" isn't working. Their job is to work in synchronization to move all the mucus or fluid out of your respiratory tract, sinuses and ears. So, if they don't work correctly your lungs, sinuses, and ears become full of fluid and mucus. Hence, Shayne's chronic ear infections, sinusitis, and bronchitis. There was also a 20% or more increase of congenital heart conditions associated with PCD. So, the heart condition didn't cause all of his respiratory issues, the PCD caused the heart condition.

In PCD the mechanism in the "motor" of the cilia also affects the mechanism of flagella. Flagella are the tails on sperm that propel them to the "egg" in the woman's ovary. If the flagella doesn't work, it appears as if all the sperm are "dead", or 0% mobility. Which means 0% chance of getting pregnant. So, while we had a diagnosis we still had no answer how to overcome this diagnosis. So, I started doing more research.

I found a particular test called HOS, Hyper-Osmotic Swelling. You put the sperm in a super concentrated sugar or salt solution, and if the sperm swell, they are alive. If they don't, they are dead. I again gave the information to Dr. Anderson. He read it, called me and said it was a great test, but no one in the state of Alaska performed this test. Shayne & I were headed down to Idaho at the end of May for my little brother's graduation. While there we made a quick trip to the University of Utah to have this test done. The results showed at least 50% were alive. All of the sudden our 0% fertility was no longer 0%.

After Dr. Anderson received the results he informed us that while we knew the sperm were alive, he had no way of identifying the viable to the nonviable sperm. Again, I did more research.

I found another procedure in online medical journals describing a process that would identify the alive sperm. It was a relatively simple procedure and given my science background and lab experience, I knew I could perform this procedure if I had the right equipment. I knew if I could perform this procedure, Doc could as well. He took the information, read it, called me and informed he could indeed perform this procedure. Now instead of being completely sterile with 0% fertility...or 100% infertile, we had the miraculous option of IVF with ICSI. Our odds still were not good, but at least we had odds.

This is when my mother told me about "Create a Miracle." This "Create a Miracle" is where you consecrate all the blessings the Lord blesses you with to one specific righteous desire. The more people fasting/praying for you the more blessings you may receive. So, we involved every family member or friend, anyone willing to pray for us, fast for us, and consecrate their blessings for us.

It was a hugely humbling process to ask so many people to pray for something so personal. To admit you have failed in creating your own family and to ask others to pray for you and to sacrifice their own blessings is truly the most humbling process Shayne & I have ever done.

Words do not do justice in describing this Create a Miracle process. It is more than just praying. It is more than just fasting. You are asking the Lord to give all your blessings; for home teaching, visiting teaching, any act of service, magnifying your calling, ALL your blessings to someone else. And it's takes months. We started this process in July/August of 2007. We "ended" the process with everyone who could and had been involved, in the temple doing an Endowment session all at the same time. Shayne & I had friends and family attending temples in Idaho, Utah, Arizona, California, and Alaska. We were all in the temple doing an endowment session at the exact same time. To know how many friends and family were in the temple just for your miracle is amazing.

So, we started our first round of IVF in late September early October. This involved getting 4 injections a day, given by myself or Shayne. When we went in for an initial ultrasound to see the status of the stimulated follicles it wasn't good news. I had over stimulated and as a result Doc was unable to harvest any of the follicles. We had to stop the IVF process. This was extremely disappointing. We had prayed so hard. We had done everything we had been asked to do. We had so many family and friends doing the same. But, we knew this wasn't the end.

Shayne & I had made a decision before we started the IVF process that we would try it once. We knew that it wasn't a coincidence we moved to this small Alaskan town with a Dr. who performed IVF. Because I wasn't able to go through the entire process, we decided to continue with our attempts at IVF. I had to wait about 2 months before trying again, but we felt it was the right thing to do.

I started the IVF medications again, but at a lower dose, in January 2008. We again had all of our friends and family who could, attend the temple doing an Endowment session on the same day, at the same time. This time things came together the way we had prayed they would.

On the evening of January 19th, 2008 we were able to successfully harvest 13 good "eggs". This was not an easy process, but I saw it as a means to an end. Doc stayed up until 5:30am attempting to perform ICSI on our eggs. He tried the new procedure to identify the "alive" sperm, but for whatever reason it was not working. He ended up just going with his "gut" instinct to choose the sperm. We know it wasn't a "gut" instinct. We know he was definitely led by the Spirit. We know this because 7 of those 13 eggs fertilized.

I cannot tell you how over joyed and overwhelmed I was when I got the call from Doc telling me 7 eggs had fertilized. He had called me in my car as I was coming home from work. I cried when I got off the phone. All I could do was pray and thank my Heavenly Father for this incredible blessing. We had overcome one of the mountains in our journey to have children.

Six of those seven fertilized eggs began to grow and develop to the blastocyst stage, which is the best stage to transfer back into the uterus. On January 25th, we transferred two blastocysts. The other 4 we had frozen to hopefully thaw and transfer later. Doc was very optimistic we would get pregnant...they were perfect blastocysts.

On February 7th, I took three pregnancy tests...yes three. All three of the came back positive! We were pregnant!! We had overcome so many hurdles to get to this point, that to be pregnant was sort of surreal. We had an ultrasound on February 25th and were able to see a single heartbeat. What an incredible experience to see that little heart beating so fast.

But, our ordeal was not yet over. We were still very unsure if I would be able to sustain the pregnancy. I have what is called an insufficient cervix. It's not strong enough to "hold" in a baby. I needed a trans-abdominal cerclage, or I would more than likely miscarry at around 16-20 weeks. However, a trans-abdominal cerclage, or TAC, is very seldom performed. Doc was unsure exactly what it was and knew of no Dr.'s who performed it. So, I again started doing more research.

On Thursday March 28th, I called Doc and informed him I needed this procedure done very very soon. I was at about 12 weeks along and after doing research I found the TAC was usually performed at about 10-11 weeks. He told me if I knew of any Dr.'s he would call them himself. Of course, I did know of a Doctor. His name was Dr. Arthur Haney at the University of Chicago Hospital. He performed more TAC's than any other Dr. in the country, and there were only about 100 Dr.'s in the country who even performed the TAC.

Doc called Dr. Haney on Friday morning, March 28th, and by Friday afternoon I was scheduled to have the TAC performed in Chicago four days later on Wednesday, April 2nd. Shayne and I flew to Chicago late on April 1st, arrived in Chicago early on April 2nd. I had surgery that day. The procedure was a little tricky due to my previous surgeries, but it was successful. The TAC was a teflon/kevlar stitch placed around my cervix near my uterus to prevent early dilation and miscarriage. I had to be completely anesthetized while they went in through my abdomen to place the stitch. To say I was nervous about my baby was an understatement. However, an ultrasound the next day showed our baby was still alive and doing well. Shayne was able to stay in my hospital room for the 4 days I was there. We flew back to Alaska on Saturday, April 5th.

Now, we were pregnant with an assurance I would not miscarry. Because the stitch is permanent I would have to have a C-section, but what a small price to pay to have a baby. Also, because of the placement of the stitch and it's permanence I was on no physical restrictions at all. Shayne & I were able to do all the Alaskan things we would normally do, and we did. I hiked, fished, dip-netted, canoed, camped, and hiked some more. After the stress of getting pregnant and guaranteeing I would stay pregnant, I had a wonderful pregnancy. I loved every minute of pregnancy.

On May 27th, we found out we were having boy. But I already knew that. Between experiences our families had had, and just a very strong feeling I had, we knew we would be having a little boy.

The pregnancy continued beautifully. I savored every moment of my pregnancy. I loved feeling our baby move. I enjoyed looking down and seeing my belly as it grew. I even joyed in the aches, pains, and discomfort it would sometimes bring, because it meant we were pregnant. We had worked so hard for so long to get to this point. We had been told by more than one doctor we would never have children. But here we were pregnant with our own child. Gratitude is such a simple word to explain our feelings.

On September 29th, 2008 at 12:34 pm, Dr. Anderson delivered our little boy via a perfect C-section. He was 6 lbs 14 oz, was 18 1/2 inches long and had red hair. I cannot begin to describe the extreme emotion I felt the first time I heard him cry. I had no idea a heart could hold so much love. I had never "met" this little boy, yet I loved him more than anything in the world.

We named our son Lachlan Aaron Pond. We had a son. The couple who should have never had children, had a son.

The Miracle we and so many others had prayed for, fasted for, attended the temple for, and worked so hard for had been given to us. Heavenly Father had given the greatest blessing a husband and wife would ever ask for...a child.

This is Lachlan's Story. This is why he is our Miracle Baby. He is evidence our Heavenly Father truly does know us and loves us. He is evidence miracles do occur today. He is evidence of blessings of faith, prayer, fasting, service, and temple attendance.

He is a miracle.

He is our miracle.