Wɪᴅᴏᴡ ʙɪʀᴛʜs baby after husband’s sᴜᴅᴅᴇɴ ᴅᴇᴀᴛʜ, He’s the ᴍᴇᴅɪᴄɪɴᴇ my ʜᴇᴀʀᴛ needed. Sarah Shellenberger, 40, described eight-week-old Hayes as her ‘ᴍᴇᴅɪᴄɪɴᴇ’ after she ʟᴏsᴛ her husband Scott, 41, to ᴀ ʜᴇᴀʀᴛ ᴀᴛᴛᴀᴄᴋ last February. She now hopes to have another baby ᴜsɪɴɢ the sᴀᴍᴇ ᴘʀᴏᴄᴇss with their second and ʟᴀsᴛ ᴠɪᴀʙʟᴇ ᴇᴍʙʀʏᴏ.
Sarah met husband Scott when they were both studying at Southern Nazarene University in 2017. He contacted her on Facebook and that’s how they started dating. The infatuation was such that With only 4 months of dating, they decided to get engaged, and by September 2018, they had married and soon they began to make plans to expand the family. The couple wanted to have at least 3 children; however, ᴅᴇsᴘɪᴛᴇ ᴀʟʟ ᴀᴛᴛᴇᴍᴘᴛs, they were ᴜɴᴀʙʟᴇ to achieve a ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴄʏ. So their ᴅᴏᴄᴛᴏʀ recommended resort to in ᴠɪᴛʀᴏ Fᴇʀᴛɪʟɪᴢᴀᴛɪᴏɴ ᴛʀᴇᴀᴛᴍᴇɴᴛ. Because of the ʜɪɢʜ ᴄᴏsᴛ for in the Sᴛᴀᴛᴇs, the couple went to the Bᴀʀʙᴀᴅᴏs Fᴇʀᴛɪʟɪᴛʏ Cᴇɴᴛᴇʀ Fᴏʀ ᴛʜᴇ ᴇɢɢ ʀᴇᴛʀɪᴇᴠᴀʟ. The first ʀᴇᴛʀɪᴇᴠᴀʟ was in December 2019.
Sarah said: “For the first round, we ended up getting one ɢᴇɴᴇᴛɪᴄᴀʟʟʏ ɴᴏʀᴍᴀʟ ᴇᴍʙʀʏᴏ and that turned out to be Hayes, We found out just before Christmas that he was a boy. Scott and I were able to pick out names before he ᴅɪᴇᴅ and that was really meaningful. We decided to go back in February for another ʀᴇᴛʀɪᴇᴠᴀʟ while I still had as ᴍᴀɴʏ ᴇɢɢs as possible. I ᴄᴏᴜʟᴅɴ’ᴛ believe that young and ʜᴇᴀʟᴛʜʏ husband could possibly ᴅɪᴇ ᴏF ᴀ ʜᴇᴀʀᴛ ᴀᴛᴛᴀᴄᴋ. I was ᴜᴘsᴇᴛand ᴄᴏɴᴄᴇʀɴᴇᴅ but I really ᴅɪᴅɴ’ᴛ think he would ᴅɪᴇ. He was so ʜᴇᴀʟᴛʜʏ , Fɪᴛ ᴀɴᴅ ʏᴏᴜɴɢ. I ᴄᴏᴜʟᴅɴ’ᴛ believe it. There are no words to describe that feeling. I decided I wanted to ᴅᴏɴᴀᴛᴇ his ᴏʀɢᴀɴs so I filled out all the paperwork. On Friday, February 21 I had to go and sᴀʏ ɢᴏᴏᴅʙʏᴇ to him. That was the ʜᴀʀᴅᴇsᴛ thing I’ve ever done.” Scott ᴅᴏɴᴀᴛᴇ d his ʟɪᴠᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ ᴋɪᴅɴᴇʏs, sᴀᴠɪɴɢ ᴛʜᴇ ʟɪᴠᴇs of three people.
Just a week after her husband’s Fᴜɴᴇʀᴀʟ, ᴄʟɪɴɪᴄ sᴛᴀFF informed Sarah that they had one more ᴠɪᴀʙʟᴇ ᴇᴍʙʀʏᴏ. Dᴇsᴘɪᴛᴇ her ᴄᴜʀʀᴇɴᴛ ᴘᴀɪɴ, Sarah did what Scott would surely have wanted “It was our biggest dream – Scott wanted to be a dad.” In August Sarah went to Barbados for the ᴇᴍʙʀʏᴏ ᴛʀᴀɴsFᴇʀ. A week later, she found out she was ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴛ. She shared her story on social media and soon had messages of sᴜᴘᴘᴏʀᴛ from people around the world. She said : “I was so moved by so many strangers following my story – people in Italy and France and South America and Canada were ᴘʀᴀʏɪɴɢ for me and ᴍʏ ᴇᴍʙʀʏᴏ. I felt so sᴜᴘᴘᴏʀᴛed.”
Finally, On May 3, Sarah gave birth to a boy whom she named Hayes. “It’s ʙɪᴛᴛᴇʀsᴡᴇᴇᴛ because I know Scott would have been in love with him and it’s ʜᴀʀᴅ to experience these things ᴡɪᴛʜᴏᴜᴛ him. I absolutely see Scott in him. It seems that things are starting to look brighter and that maybe my life is not over and I have a purpose. Holding Hayes has been good ᴍᴇᴅɪᴄɪɴᴇ for me and has ʜᴇᴀʟᴇᴅ my ʜᴇᴀʀᴛ in many ways,” said the now ʙʀᴀᴠᴇ ᴍᴏᴛʜᴇʀ .
