“The Little Boy That Could”
The Brophy family and their little miracle, Connor; Macungie, PA

As a young, healthy, newlywed couple the thought of fertility problems did not cross our minds. The assumption was that when we were ready that we would have a family and live the stereotypical American dream. After over a year of trying unsuccessfully we were concerned because we were not pregnant. We decided to consult Genetics & IVF Institute in Fairfax, VA and after testing they said that there was nothing wrong. After several more months of disappointing and unsuccessful attempts we went back to GIVF. We did an IUI which was unsuccessful and then moved onto IVF. During our first attempt with IVF we lost the pregnancy early on and were unsuccessful with the subsequent embryo transfer.

During the course of all of this it seemed as though everyone around us was having children or asking us when we were going to have children. We would see news stories about people abandoning their babies or worse and we just could not understand why this was happening to us. We had been buying clothes and baby items for several years now and the harsh reality and despair that we may never see our baby started to sink in.

In December 2003 when all hope seemed to be lost we decided to do our last IVF cycle. I was home when the call came in and I could tell by the tone that it was not good news. The nurse told me that my pregnancy test was positive but that it was only 4. She said that the pregnancy would “resolve” itself and I would just have to have blood work until it came back negative.

My blood work was closely monitored and instead of going down my numbers were rising. I kept some cautious optimism though because this was the closest that I had ever been.

It was Christmas 2003 at this point. I had several bouts of bleeding and the doctor said that I was losing the pregnancy. He advised me to go home and rest and an ultrasound would be scheduled in early January. We were devastated as you can imagine. On Christmas Eve my husband gave me a little pair of blue baby booties with the name “Connor.” This was one of the names that we decided on over our four year struggle.

At the five week mark I was brought in to make sure that things had “resolved.” There were two doctors in the room, nurses and the ultrasound tech with us. The scan began and to everyone’s disbelief there was a little blinking light on the screen. There was a heartbeat and everything looked as it should despite all of the complications. We were “officially” pregnant. We were given the due date of 09-13-2004 and we knew it would be a little boy. 09-13 is my Grandfather’s birthday and he had passed away just months before. We felt that Pop had sent us down a little sign that everything was going to be alright.

The pregnancy was high risk but continued on well with close monitoring. At 13 weeks I was hospitalized with complications and this is when we found out that we had a son. When it seemed that everything was falling into place our family sustained a crushing blow. When I was 5 months pregnant my Dad was diagnosed with end stage lung cancer. We told my Dad that his first grandson was on the way but my Dad was too sick to hold on. He looked forward to the Little League games, and promised to be there for graduation and this first pitch but this was just not meant to be. We videotaped the ultrasounds and gave him pictures of his grandson. On July 22, 2004 my Dad passed away just 4 weeks before the birth of his grandson.

Several days after my Dad passed I was hospitalized for pre-term labor. I was discharged the day of his funeral and our son was doing well.

On 08-25-2004 we went to the hospital for a planned c-section. I had this warm and calm sense come over me in the operating room. I felt like my Dad was there taking care of me. After a few minutes the doctor held up this amazing little being and said, “Maureen, look up…here’s your baby.” The rush of emotion and relief was indescribable.

Connor Patrick Brophy came into this world and his birth could not have come at a better time for our family. This little 7 pound miracle that we had waited so long for replaced the tears of sadness with tears of joy. He was and is what has seen this family through its darkest hours. He was well worth the struggle and the 4 year wait and all of that just vanished when we saw him. This little miracle that had grown inside of me for 9 months had finally arrived and as perfect as we had imagined.

Connor definitely is the “Little Boy That Could” right from the start. He fought to be here despite the odds being against him because he needed to be here with us. He will be three at the end of August and this boy is amazing! He is always smiling or laughing heartily! He has a way of lighting up a room and working the crowd. No matter how bad things may seem he makes them better and our lives with him have blossomed into something that we never could have imagined. When he flashes the smile or says that he loves me my heart melts.

We were given a special gift that we cherish and we thank your scientists and researchers who make products like Bravelle for giving hope and miracles.

Connor is a big brother now and an amazing one at that. We hope to expand our family even more so in the near future and we hope that other couples are as blessed as we to have our dreams come true.