A couple who endured years of heartache to have a child has welcomed their very own miracle thanks to a GoFundMe fundraiser
Zoe Nickless and her husband Ben from Manchester began trying for a child in 2011 but were devastated to be told they would not be able to conceive naturally.
They decided to try artificial insemination, but it was unsuccessful.
Not long after, Zoe’s dad became ill, and it halted their journey to parenthood.
The couple, who lived in Devon at the time, decided to try IVF in 2019 but again it did not work and the pair said they were reluctant to continue.
Zoe, 37, told the Liverpool Echo, was an ‘emotionally and physically draining’ and so they put it to the back of their minds, moving to Chester in early 2020. But it wasn’t long before they realised something was missing.
Zoe said: “It was very difficult seeing everyone enjoying their time and it was very apparent something was missing in our life, and we hadn’t actually given up trying for a baby.”
Once lockdown had lifted, the couple tried IVF once again, but it was to end in devastation after becoming pregnant, the baby, who they named Billy, was diagnosed with a rare condition and died at 25 weeks.
Zoe said: “It was the worst experience of our lives after all these years of trying.”
They thought of giving up, but a friend suggested they set up a Go Fund Me fundraising page to help raise funds for the expensive treatment.
They managed to raise £8,000 in just four weeks
They IVF again but it did work, and the clinic let them have another round.
Zoe said: “It was an overwhelming time. It ended up being third time lucky after Billy and we managed to get there. I keep saying this isn’t just our baby, it’s a lot of people’s baby. We almost gave up after Billy died.”
The couple was delighted to welcome baby Teddy who was born on June 15.
They want to talk about their story to help others by raising awareness of IVF.
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