The couple had been trying to have a baby for more than four years before welcoming their daughter London O’Neill. Now, a stunning photo of their baby surrounded by the 1,616 of ɴᴇᴇᴅʟᴇs used in their ғᴇʀᴛɪʟɪᴛʏ ᴛʀᴇᴀᴛᴍᴇɴᴛs is sweeping across the Internet, proving to be the perfect end to their emotional, years-long journey.
Patricia and Kimberly O’Neill met close to six years ago working at a daycare, and after a year into the relationship in February 2014, they began trying to ᴄᴏɴᴄᴇɪᴠᴇ. Both women had kids from previous relationships, Patricia a now 7-year-old daughter and Kimberly a now 14-year-old son. Together they decided Patricia, who had always wanted a biological child, would be the one to carry their new loved one. But things don’t always go according to plan. They faced ʜᴇᴀʀᴛʙʀᴇᴀᴋ after ʜᴇᴀʀᴛʙʀᴇᴀᴋ as they spent $40,000, made seven desperate attempts and sᴜғғᴇʀᴇᴅ three ᴍɪsᴄᴀʀʀɪᴀɢᴇs in their four-year bid to have a baby. Patricia said :” We just thought it would only take going into a ғᴇʀᴛɪʟɪᴛʏ ᴄʟɪɴɪᴄ and nine months later, we’d have a baby. It just didn’t happen like that for us.” The couple ʟᴏsᴛ their first baby at six weeks and then the second baby at eight weeks, and it was after this they discovered Patricia sᴜғғᴇʀᴇᴅ from ᴀ ʙʟᴏᴏᴅ-ᴄʟᴏᴛᴛɪɴɢ ᴄᴏɴᴅɪᴛɪᴏɴ called Fᴀᴄᴛᴏʀ V Lᴇɪᴅᴇɴ. The ɪʟʟɴᴇss can cause sᴇʀɪᴏᴜs ᴄᴏᴍᴘʟɪᴄᴀᴛɪᴏɴs with ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴄɪᴇs, which they O’Neill’s found out the hard way. The fourth ᴇᴍʙʀʏᴏ took and they began to feel hopeful, but at 11 weeks the baby’s ʜᴇᴀʀᴛ sᴛᴏᴘᴘᴇᴅ.
After three ᴍɪsᴄᴀʀʀɪᴀɢᴇs Patricia was a broken woman and wanted to give up. But the couple ᴘᴇʀsᴇᴠᴇʀᴇᴅ and found a new ᴅᴏᴄᴛᴏʀ who sᴘᴇᴄɪᴀʟɪsᴇᴅ ɪɴ Pᴀᴛʀɪᴄɪᴀ’s ʙʟᴏᴏᴅ-ᴄʟᴏᴛᴛɪɴɢ ᴄᴏɴᴅɪᴛɪᴏɴ. nHe told her to take two ʙʟᴏᴏᴅ ᴛʜɪɴɴɪɴɢ ɪɴᴊᴇᴄᴛɪᴏɴs twice a day. About $40,000 later, London O’Neill was born on August 3. Patricia recalls:” When we heard her cry, we both looked at each other and started crying. I was shaking and crying so hard. It was an overwhelming feeling of relief. She’s here. It was a lot of emotions for us all at once. It’s still unreal to me that we finally have our baby. We actually made it here.” Photographer Samantha Packer helped them realize their vision, which they had had in mind from the start. Patricia said:”My wife saved every single needle that I injected, all capped and plastic seals around them and everything”.
The couple, from the US, have now shared a poignant photograph taken of little London wrapped in a rainbow blanket peacefully dozing. But what is more ʜᴇᴀʀᴛʀᴇɴᴅɪɴɢ are the hundreds of ɴᴇᴇᴅʟᴇs surrounding her in the shape of a heart. They represent the ʙʟᴏᴏᴅ-ᴛʜɪɴɴᴇʀ ɴᴇᴇᴅʟᴇs Patricia used twice a day, and the ⒾⓋⒻ ɪɴᴊᴇᴄᴛɪᴏɴs she took in her efforts to have a baby. The photograph has now become a symbol of hope for other parents facing ɪɴғᴇʀᴛɪʟɪᴛʏ sᴛʀᴜɢɢʟᴇs. Patricia said: “I hope that there’s a couple out there that’s going through what we are that can see that there’s hope at the end of the tunnel. There’s a light and you just have to get there.” It took photographer Samantha Packer more than an hour to meticulously lay out the syringes around London. Photographer Samantha Packer said:” The heart symbolized … that this whole painful journey was all to love a child.”
