Hi, my name is Stephanie Hurley. I am 30 years old and ready to share my story because we are not done fighting for our dream.

My husband, Paul and I got married in October 2019 aside our family and close friends. We both come from the most loving and caring families. We spend every holiday, birthday, special event and most weekends with each other. For both of us, family is so important and valued. We both have always dreamed of having a family of our own! After getting married and our siblings having kids, the pressure from family and friends always asking, "When are are you and Paul going to have kids?" was so hard on us. We would smile and say were going to enjoy eachother first. Paul and I would always talk and imagine what our kids would look like. Would they have your ears? My smile? We started to make the ultimate dream a reality.

First step was to buy a house to raise a family in. In 2020, we found the cutest first home and continued the reality of our dream. This was it! We also went foward in booking our honeymoon for a 2021 cruise. Right in the middle of the pandemic. What a time to be thankful and blessed for everything that was happening around us. We both continued to work so hard and we were getting even more excited for our adventures ahead. During this time, I also was able to be seen with a local OBGYN who had great reviews and we began to trust with his instinct and intelligence.

Starting back to 2021, I've been pregnant several times with the unfortunate results of miscarriage after miscarriage. We never gave up. Before we knew it, we were finally pregnant!!! We were so excited it was actually happening. We were thinking of ways to tell our family. Holding in the secrect was so hard. We couldn't wait to see their excitement as well. We gave each of our sister's an "Auntie is The Best" onesies and we gave the future grandparents short stories that hinted baby all over them. Our families were filled with joy and we were all just so excited to meet our newest addition. Paul and I knew this was something that we both would keep so close to our hearts.

Before knowing I was pregnant, the honeymoon was booked. We would be taking an amazing 11 day Caribbean cruise. Drink package and all! (I didn't even care because my dreams were coming true) But to get us even more excited and take precaution before cruising, my instinct told me to check in with the OB to make sure all was good. We hadn't seen the doctor or had an ultrasound as I wasn't 10 weeks yet, but because of previous experience, I felt I needed to be seen before the cruise. As Paul and I sat in the waiting room holding hands talking about how scared, nervous, and excited we were, we got up, and followed the nurse who had helped me many times through my losses. After waiting in anticipation for the doctor, we finally got our message. WE WERE PREGNANT AND THERE IS THE HEARTBEAT! We got so excited together we both started crying. The doctor then said, "Don't get too excited, it isn't in the right place." This was the point where we went from the top of the mountain to our absolute lowest. In the blink of an eye, it was a nightmare. That very day, I was rushed into emergency surgery to not only remove my ectopic fetus, but also the fallopian tube.

This was absolutely defeating. Our hearts were shattered. Paul and I took our honeymoon to grieve. It was awful. We sat by the pool as I couldn't do much from the surgery. It was a very low time for both of us... on our honeymoon. We came off the boat and held our heads high and continued to keep living our lives. Our families and friends continued to support us and showered us in love. They made us grateful for what we did have and not what we didn't have.

"Que Sera Sera", That has been my motto, meaning "Whatever will be, will be".

We then went back to our doctor to make sure that if I only had one tube left that it would be in tip top shape. I had multiple blood tests done, internal scans, the saline flush to make sure the tube had a good flow, and went to the cardiologist to make sure that my body was ready to hold! Doc was sure that the tube was healthy and to just keep trying! Man had I been ready! I continued to try for the next 2 years and sadly, the same results of miscarriage arose. That feeling of defeat and no hope was infront of me.

In 2023, Paul and I knew that this was a year of peace and healing for us. Which we definitely were experiencing. These last 5 months have been full of ups and downs, family, friends, new career, all while loving eachother more and more each day.

The saying, "When you stop trying, It will happen." and BOOM...I was late. Could this be it? Is this our rainbow after such a terrible storm.

When we stopped trying it happened. A positive test result! As you can imagine, we were very excited to see the doctor and find out if both baby and I were safe. I went in that Friday for some blood work and transvaginal ultrasound in hopes of seeing what we needed to determine that this was going to be a healthy start in pregnancy.

Paul and I held eachothers hands thinking, "This is it"! We did not know how far along we were or if we were even going to see anything. But we had high hopes. There was no sign of baby, but we could have been early. So we waited to get our HCG levels to determine how far along I was.

Two days later, Sunday, I get a phone call from my OB's personal cell to tell me, "Your numbers are too high for us to not see something. You need to go for a second opinion and get to the ER."

Come to find out, my numbers were doubling and I was not safe and neither was my baby. Once again after being so traumatized the first time it was happening again. This pregnancy was resulting in a second ectopic pregnancy. The fetus was growing in my healthy tube and now that other fallopian tube needed to be removed. How? Why? If you think it was hard the first time, imagine it happening again for a second time. I now have a 0% chance at having a natural way of getting pregnant. This has been one of the hardest losses I've ever known. Especially as a women.

After more consideration, Paul and I would still very much love nothing more than to bring life into this world. Our dream isn't over. We aren't done fighting. Due to the medical bills we already have accumulated and the work that has been missed, we are reaching out and asking for help with costs of IVF. Paul and I know that we would make the very best parents and would love to give it a try while we are still young. Together as a Village, we will get through this. Because of your support, I know we are not alone. No regrets. Thank you all for you ready my story and your generosity.

The Hurley's