Miesha and Jon Suber are all smiles as they sort through their baby gifts. But their journey to get here was long and at times extremely challenging.
In April of 2013, Miesha and Jon had a miscarriage. It was a devastating loss.
“It was definitely emotional because you know you go from the high of figuring out you’re being parents to the low of now, you’re not sure what’s going to happen. You’re not sure why,” says Jon.
The pain would only get worse as the couple would eventually try again to get pregnant.
Jon and Miesha suffered from unexplained infertility. But they weren’t giving up, trying intrauterine insemination or IUI, but again, no luck.
Jon and Miesha had 8 failed IUI attempts.
Miesha says, “Lots of tears, lots of anger… It’s just a lot.”
Jon says, “It was pretty much the only thing that I prayed about for like four years since the miscarriage.”
The couple planned to try in-vitro but took a break after Jon was diagnosed with M-S.
During the break, they sorted out their finances looking for options to help with the expected cost.
That’s when they found the Tinina Q. Cade Foundation.
“Cade provides grants of up to $10,000 that will help with the cost of adoption or fertility treatment. We also provide medicine grants that will help with fertility treatment,” says Dr. Camille Hammond.
Dr. Camille Hammond is a co-founder of the Cade Foundation, an organization providing support and financial assistance to families struggling with infertility.
Dr. Hammond says it’s important to know you’re not alone.
“1 in 8 families struggle with infertility. But there are so many ways that you can become a parent that no one should just feel hopeless like there’s no help. And I don’t care how bad the situation is or what terrible news you’ve been given. You can become a parent if you don’t give up,” says Dr. Hammond.
Cade awarded Jon and Miesha a $5000.00 medicine grant.
“It was the best call we could have ever received,” says Miesha.
But before the couple could even try in-vitro, an unexpected surprise.
Jon says, “She was sitting on the tub and the pregnancy test was on the floor and she pointed down and she was like ‘what the hell!’ “
He continued, “And I was like you’re going to have to tell me what that means like I need to know. She’s like ‘we’re pregnant.’”
“After obviously the initial shock, my first thoughts was, well what about T. Cade? I was like oh my goodness, we need to tell them,” Miesha says.
To date, there are 66 Cade babies and 2 ongoing pregnancies.
To learn more about grant applications and the 12th Annual Family Building Gala happening Saturday, November 4th at the World Trade Center in downtown Baltimore, click here.
To learn more about Shady Grove Fertility click here.
