A tiny newborn swaddled in rainbow cloth, surrounded by more than 1,600 shots, the image alone is enough to pull at your heartstrings but when you hear the story behind it, it's no wonder this photo is going viral.
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 conceive. 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.
“We just thought it would only take going into a fertility clinic and nine months later, we’d have a baby,” Patricia told CNN, "It just didn't happen like that for us." The couple lost their first baby at six weeks and then the second baby at eight weeks, and it was after this they discovered Patricia suffered from a blood-clotting condition called Factor V Leiden. The illness can cause serious complications with pregnancies, which they O'Neill's found out the hard way. The fourth embryo took and they began to feel hopeful, but at 11 weeks the baby's heart stopped.
“I was done and I couldn’t do it anymore. But my wife and I, we started this journey together, and we decided we would always be together in the hard decisions and she wasn’t done,” said Patricia, and their persistence paid off with the help of Dr. John Couvaras, a board-certified reproductive endocrinologist and ob-gyn. Dr. Couvaras recommended two shots a day of blood-thinning medicine be added alongside the IVF shots (which are also pictured surrounding the baby).
About $40,000 later, London O'Neill was born on August 3. Photographer Samantha Packer helped them realize their vision, which they had had in mind from the start. “My wife saved every single needle that I injected, all capped and plastic seals around them and everything,” explained Patricia explained.
The image of baby London and the O'Neill's struggle has struck a chord with people everywhere, wracking up 63K shares on Facebook.“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,” expressed Patricia. “There’s a light and you just have to get there.”
Scroll down below to see images of this beautiful family!
This beautiful photo of newborn London O'Neill surrounded by over 1,616 needles is going viral
Image credits: Packer Family Photography
Samantha Packer is the photographer behind the image and the story of what it depicts is amazing
Patricia and Kimberly O’Neill knew they wanted a biological baby one year into their relationship
Image credits: Kimberly Ayn O'Neill
Both women have kids from previous relationships, Patricia a now 7-year-old daughter and Kimberly a now 14-year-old son
Image credits: Kimberly Ayn O'Neill
Patricia struggled to maintain a pregnancy due to a blood-clotting condition called Factor V Leiden. Her doctor recommended blood-thinners alongside the IVF, which are shown in the photo as well
Image credits: Kimberly Ayn O'Neill
“I was done and I couldn’t do it anymore. But my wife and I, we started this journey together, and we decided we would always be together in the hard decisions and she wasn’t done,” Patricia told CNN
Image credits: Packer Family Photography
She hopes their story will be an inspiration to other struggling couples, “There’s a light and you just have to get there”
Image credits: Packer Family Photography
Watch the loving couple tell their story
People were touched by the O'Neills and shared their own IVF journies and photos
