Life After Death: The Laura and Caralyn Yoho Story
Laura and Nathan were looking forward to their wedding and the rich life they would have together. Both had a passion for health and fitness. Everyone agreed they were a perfect match. Like other young couples, they had dreams and aspirations. They talked about starting their own gym and having a family. Four months before their wedding, Laura suffered what was initially diagnosed as a stroke. After seeking a second opinion, she learned her symptoms were caused by a life-threatening form of brain cancer.
Life After Death chronicles Laura and Nathan’s life together throughout Laura’s diagnosis, twenty-seven months of treatment, and the birth of their daughter, Caralyn, born through a surrogate four months after Laura’s death. It was Laura’s best friend since second grade, already a mother of two children, who volunteered to grant the couple their wish of having a child. The story is both tragic and inspirational. We witnessed Laura’s extraordinary courage, Nathan’s unwavering commitment to leave no stone unturned in seeking to save Laura’s life while giving her the life she deserved, and the meaning of unconditional friendship.
At some point in time, everyone will be faced with a life-changing circumstance. I hope sharing Laura and Nathan’s story and what we learned from the experience will help others deal with difficult times. I encourage people to seek opportunities to bring comfort to someone, you will be rewarded with a feeling of goodness. True generosity requires nothing in return, other than serving as an example to follow.
Souls on Ice: True Miracle Stories of Embryo Adoption
We published this book to share with you the stories of hope and inspiration families have experienced through our program, Embryo Adoption Services of Cedar Park. Read this inspiring collection of 12 real stories from couples who have donated their frozen embryos and the families who have adopted them! Foreword by former Governor and Presidential Candidate Mike Huckabee
I heartily endorse this book, with it’s heartwarming and very real collection of personal experiences with embryo adoption. I am a physician researcher, and lecturer. I have spent much of the last seven years advocating, explaining, researching and publishing on the subject of embryo adoption. Yet, I can tell you that no scientific information nor facts nor figures can substitute for real human experiences – that those who have had them are willing to share publicly. Maria Lancaster is both a colleague and personal friend. I have advocated for Embryo Adoption Services of Cedar Park in many different settings, explaining that Cedar Park is the nation’s only church-based embryo adoption endeavor. Open this book, and read about real-life experiences. You will have a new perspective on the beginning of human life.
Reginald Finger, MD, MPH
Assistant Professor School of Health Sciences
Indiana Westlyan University
A Snowflake Named Hannah: Ethics, Faith, and the First Adoption of a Frozen Embryo
When John and Marlene Strege learned they wouldn’t be able to have a child, they were devastated. Then Marlene asked the question that would change their lives: Can frozen embryos be adopted? The answer not only gave them their beloved daughter Hannah, it drew all three into a political spotlight they never expected. This compelling story unfolds at the intersection of faith and family, science and politics. Pro-life Christians, those who have experienced infertility or know those who have, and anyone concerned with where science can lead when moral and ethical concerns are ignored will welcome this book–and the sweet face of the baby who might never have been born.
Frozen, But Not Forgotten: An Adoptive Dad’s Step-by-Step Guide to Embryo Adoption
Perhaps you dream of having a baby but struggle with infertility. Maybe you have biological children but are considering adoption to build your family. In this guidebook written by a veteran journalist-turned-adoptive father, learn everything you need to know about the embryo adoption process from your first call with an agency or fertility clinic to bringing baby home from the hospital. Told from a Christian perspective using personal, funny and downright jaw-dropping anecdotes from the author’s own adoption experience, this book will set your mind at ease by providing a clear roadmap for your adoption journey.
Three Makes Baby: How to Parent Your Donor-Conceived Child
Millions of people dream of having a baby but struggle for years with infertility or seek other unconventional ways to build a family. In an era of new options in reproductive medicine, many couples are using a third person’s egg, sperm, or embryo to conceive. Having a child with another person’s genetics is complex.
Hope and Will Have a Baby (Embryo Donation)
Follow an inquisitive little boy who learns of his parents’ quest to have children, and the success they ultimately achieve in creating a family. Told in a language a child can understand, read the tale of how mom and dad met, fell in love, and ultimately built a family.
This story on the gift of embryo donation is part of a book collection that brings to light the many reproductive options of family building. Come and celebrate the unique gift couples can receive on their way to becoming a family.
Before Born – Our Story (Embryo Donation)
A story book written in age-appropriate, loving language and tells the story of how a child came to be via embryo donation or embryo adoption. The book is written for 3-5 year olds. Using bears as characters, the illustrations depict the typical day in the life of a child interacting with their parent. The story describes a child conceived by in vitro fertilization using the egg and sperm of another man and woman. The embryo is placed inside the mother’s uterus, who then carried and delivers the child. The story does not contain the words “sperm” or “egg”. The term “embryo donation” is used. This book is written for heterosexual couples and uses the words “Mommy and Daddy”.
Embryo Adoption Embryo Donation- Christian Perspective
Can one couple’s dilemma be the answer to another couple’s hopes and dreams? Yes! If you are a couple with precious, frozen embryos, this book provides Christian-based guidance on the loving, life-affirming option of embryo donation. If you are a couple who is longing to have a baby, this book will help you consider the adventure of a lifetime—becoming parents through embryo adoption. Sensitively written in an easy-to-read style, this book is a must-read for those interested in learning more about new opportunities in embryo donation and embryo adoption. The issue of embryo adoption, having leftover embryos frozen in liquid nitrogen thawed and implanted in an adoptive mother’s womb, is a thorny subject in Catholic moral theology and ethics circles.
Blessing Above
Every night before she goes to sleep, a kangaroo prays under the stars for a baby to love and hold. One day, as she rests under a tree, a baby bird falls out of its crowded nest—plop!—right into her pouch!
Now, every night before they fall asleep, Momma-Roo and Little One thank God for all their blessings . . . but especially for each other.
The book closes with a quote from Ephesians 1:5: “In love he destined us for adoption to himself. . . .”
God Gave Us You
When a charming polar bear cub climbs into bed one night, she asks her Mama a very important question–one that little “human cubs” often wonder about, too: “Where did I come from?” As Mama bear tucks her youngest cub under the quilts, she gently, tenderly, and reassuringly communicates the message loving parents everywhere (bears and non-bears alike) want their little ones to hear: “We wanted you very, very much, and we are so very glad because – God gave us you.”
The Pea That Was Me
The Pea That Was Me: An Embryo Donation Story is great way to introduce children conceived through embryo donation to the idea that “some very nice people” (a man and a woman) donated an extra “pea” (or embryo) to help bring them into the loving arms of “mommy and daddy”. May be read to children as young as 3 years old, and has room at the end to fill in your own child’s details. Appropriate for both anonymous and known embryo donation as an initial introduction to the concept.
Treasure Babies: How two under-the-sea families came to be
Sometimes the greatest miracles are the ones that start out as major maydays! Join Strive, Ora, and their fishy friends as they struggle against the tide through the pain of infertility and discover the hope that doctors can bring, the miracle of new life, and the beauty of shared treasure. “Treasure Babies: How two under-the-sea families came to be” was written to help children understand the basic concepts of infertility, conception through IVF/fertility treatments, and the beauty that is embryo donation/adoption. Great for families who have donated their embryos and for recipient families!
Our Story – How We Became a Family (13): Mum & dad families who used embryo donation – single baby
A book for donor conceived children under seven years old explaining about their origins. This is one of a series of books and this book is for mum and dad families who have used embryo donation. This book is relevant for those who have used known, identifiable and anonymous donors.
www.tapestrybooks.com Large distributor of books about adoption, check it out.
www.nacac.org North American Council on Adoptable Children (NACAC). Hundreds of families from across the country who have built their family through various adoption methods unite annually to fellowship and attend workshops and trainings that best address their specific areas of interest.
www.focusonthefamily.com Focus on the Family has a mountain of helpful resources on parenting, including adoption of all kinds.
www.redcross.org The Red Cross also offers first aid and safety classes, including infant CPR. You can see where these are in your area.
www.parentsasteachers.org These trained professionals meet with prospective adoptive parents (even prior to pregnancy or adoption) as well as parents of children ages 0-3 years old. They offer child development resources, assessments and activities (for free). This is a great resources.
www.amazon.com Search “embryo adoption” “adoption” “parenting an adopted child” there are a lot of resources for families available.
Catholic Moral Theology Article
“Setting the captives free” – is there precedent for embryo adoption in scripture and medieval Christian tradition?
The Catholic Case for Embryo Adoption
The issue of embryo adoption, having leftover embryos frozen in liquid nitrogen thawed and implanted in an adoptive mother’s womb, is a thorny subject in Catholic moral theology and ethics circles.
The National Catholic Bioethics Quarterly
The Only Moral Option is Embryo Adoption, Br. Glenn Breed MSA
Our Moral Obligation to the Abandoned Embryo Rev. Peter F. Ryan, S.J.
Embryo: A Defence of Human Life by Robert P. George
The Magisterial Liceity of Embryo Transfer
A Response to Charles Robertson
Dr. Elizabeth Bothamley Rex
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