Name: Amy
Due Date: June 4, 2008
Expecting: A Boy!
I suppose the best way to tell about my journey getting pregnant is to start where it all began, 8 years ago. Kyle and I were high school sweethearts, together since our junior year. It was a relationship that happened despite the odds of what other people said. Basically we heard a lot of, “It will never last.” We dated the rest of high school and remained together throughout college.
In August 2006, Kyle and I took a trip to our favorite place, Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Unbeknownst to me, Kyle had been ring shopping and had arranged for it to be sent to our hotel upon our arrival.
Several days into our trip, after driving through Yellowstone National Park, Kyle proposed by a beautiful lake in front of the Grand Tetons. I was speechless! This had been a long time coming and to have it finally happen was surreal.
We immediately made plans to get married the following June 2, 2007 in Florida. On the way home from Florida, after a long weekend of planning the upcoming event, I had a “moment.” For some reason something told me to not wait until June.
We had waited so long to be husband and wife so why should we stretch it out any further. Another date was set. This time it was for December 16, 2006. Kyle and I were married at my parent’s house and it was perfect.
Fast forward to May 2007. I was right out of college, teaching at an inner city school. Driving the daily 2-hour commute and adjusting to the school and my first job, I became exhausted. I slowly developed a few problems with my feet and had gotten some mysterious bruises on my arms and legs.
After putting off going to the doctor for a couple of weeks, Kyle finally made me go to the doctor, even making the appointment for me. They did some blood work and I, along with my doctor, thought it would come back normal.
A day later I got a call with my results as I was walking out the door after school.
Plain as day I can remember the doctor’s words. “Amy, your white count is incredibly high and we think you have Leukemia.” Yes, the c-word…CANCER.
A day later an oncologist confirmed that the diagnoses was correct. I had Acute Myleogeneous Leukemia (AML). I would begin immediate chemotherapy treatment at Vanderbilt Hospital on the Immunosuppression floor.
The emotions and thoughts I had were insane, to say the least. Would I loose my hair? Would I be able to have children? Would I even survive?
Under the incredible hands of the doctors and nurses at Vanderbilt, I received intense treatments. The first round of chemo was given to me for 24 hours a day over a 7-day period. And remember the original June 2nd wedding date? I was sick in a hospital room at Vanderbilt.
I had some serious problems with my intestines and small bowel. I lost a lot of weight and all of my hair. My blood counts were as close to zero as you could get. Someone with a cough or runny nose could have nearly killed me. I couldn’t leave the 11th floor for a month. Kyle never left my side unless to shower or get an extra hour or two of sleep.
I finally had my bone marrow biopsy and it came back clean. No cancer cells. But I still had more treatment to go. Finally, in July, after another month long stay at Vanderbilt, I was allowed to come home, in remission.
The day we left the hospital we were given an appointment time at a fertility clinic for one month later. The doctors at Vanderbilt were not optimistic in their thoughts about me becoming pregnant. They explained that there was no way of knowing what the chemo had done to my reproductive system.
They also said that if the cancer ever did come back, I would have to receive a bone marrow transplant. This would include multiple rounds of radiation. If that happened, there would be no chance I would ever become pregnant.
We never went to the appointment. We wanted to wait for my period to return. It never did.
In October, Kyle and I took a trip to California… San Francisco, Napa Valley, and Yosemite National Park. I was sick the whole time. I couldn’t eat the delicious food. I couldn’t walk far. I was exhausted. In the airport on the way back home, I rushed to the bathroom feeling incredibly nauseous. The whole plane ride back was miserable.
I finally brought it up and asked Kyle, “Do you think I could be pregnant?” When we got home, we went to the store and bought a pregnancy test. It was positive.
My, what can happen in a year’s time! Doctors can give you all kinds of news. Good, bad, life threatening. Finally, on a beautiful October day, we heard the words that we thought we would never hear. I was indeed pregnant with our first child, due June 4th.
On January 4th we found out that we were having a boy. He’s healthy. I’m healthy. His name will be Caden Bentley and he is our miracle baby.
On what winning the Baby Shower gift package would mean to her…
Winning the package would leave us both thrilled and incredibly honored. Being a young couple pregnant with our first child, we are having to research and figure out the best items available for babies today. Having some of the stress lifted by the quality items that are a part of the gift package would be beneficial to us financially as well.
Being chosen would have us feeling even more prepared, organized, and ready for the birth of our baby boy!
