Oliver & Kinzlee : Infertility, Loss, Joy

By Christine HunterMommy to HenryBorn August 2018Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia5q14.3-5q15 Deletion, Bosch Boonstra Schaaf Optic Atrophy Syndrome, MEF2C Haploinsufficiency Syndrome, Cortical Visual Impairment, Infantile spasms (West Syndrome) My pregnancy with our first-born son, Henry David, was easy with zero concerns. We had an ultrasound at 10 weeks and 20 weeks which both showed no concerns. His growth was on track…

By Jackie HayMommy to BenjaminBorn April 2022Congenital Heart Defect – Hypoplastic Left Heart SyndromeTransplant Survivor In September 2021, we were surprised to learn that our family of three would soon be turning into a family of give! At our anatomy ultrasound in December 2021, we were told that Baby B had a “blip” on his heart.…

By Michelle L. CramerFounder and Executive Director of On Angels’ Wings It’s hard to believe, but On Angels’ Wings is nearly 11 years old now. When I founded the organization in 2013, I never fathomed the reach that it would have over a decade later, with more than 1500 families served through over 1800 photo…

By Rebecca NorrisMommy to HazelBorn February 2016Pontocerebellar Hypoplasia Hazel was born prematurely. My water broke at 24 weeks and they kept her in until 27 weeks and 4 days. This is when our journey with On Angels’ Wings began – capturing a little baby in NICU born at 1-pound 13-ounces and 13-inches long. I couldn’t…

By Braedn ArnallDaddy to RhylynBorn February 2019Hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) Rhylyn had a traumatic birth. Thankfully, she is a very strong girl and is doing her best to overcome any obstacles. As hard as it may be, her diagnosis has impacted us both positively. She doesn’t understand what’s going on around her, so that makes…

By Maria BottinoMommy to LouieBorn August 2021Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy (HIE) I’ve been told since I was 16 years old that I would never get pregnant due to a health concern of my own – endometriosis. In January 2021 that quickly changed with a very positive pregnancy test. I was ecstatic, but also a little scared.…

By Carrie DyalMommy to Izadora “Izzy”Born August 2019Intractable epilepsy without status epilepticus and global delays My husband and I had had two miscarriages before Izzy was born; a twin pregnancy lost at 8.5 weeks, and a blighted ovum lost at 9 weeks. We were devastated. Met with Dr Poppy an infertility specialist and at that time…

By Heather CrowleyMommy to TateBorn June 2019Ohtahara Syndrome Recently married with a three-year-old stepson, my husband and I decided to try to get pregnant fairly quickly so that the kids could be close in age. We were pregnant within a couple months of trying and it all was working out as planned. I had a…

By Scott McDonaldDaddy to AmadaPentalogy of CantrellBorn November 2022 We always wanted to have children, just not sure of the timing. We tried for some time before it happened, so when we got pregnant, we were so happy. We celebrated so much. Right before we got pregnant, we were seeing a specialist, and we just…

By Penny RodenhouseMommy to Joseph “Joey”PTPRT Gene Mutation, Moebius Syndrome, Tracheomalacia, Congenital Myopathy, Epilepsy, Hypotonia, Chronic respiratory failureBorn May 2022 My husband and I tried to have a baby for 6 years and were unsuccessful. Fertility testing showed we’d need to do IVF to even conceive a child. We were heartbroken but knew that God…