Man sells sneaker collection for wife’s IVF to have miracle baby

By Emma Dunn via SWNS

A woman who had eight miscarriages finally gave birth to a miracle baby boy - after her husband sold his sneaker collection to help pay for IVF.

Lauren Wynn, 37, and her partner, EJ, 36, had always dreamed of being parents but spent five years struggling to conceive.

Following their eighth miscarriage, the couple decided to look into IVF and had an egg retrieval and transfer in September 2021.

EJ, who works at a steel plant manufacturer, surprised Lauren by selling his shoe collection 100 pairs to go towards their IVF costs.

He raised $4,800, to help pay for Lauren's $15k intravenous immunoglobulin (IVig) treatment - to help repress her immune system and to improve the chances of implantation, and the couple used GoFundMe to raise the $20k for the IVF.

They were “excited but scared” to find out they were expecting in October 2021.

Following a difficult pregnancy, Lauren welcomed baby Amari, now 16 months old, on May 1, 2022, weighing 5lbs 3oz at 5.51 am via emergency c-section.

Amari is now a “happy little boy” and the family is so thankful to the strangers who donated funds to help them have their “miracle baby."

Lauren, from Southern Ohio, said: “He went and sold his shoe collections he’s had since college.

“I had no idea that’s what he was doing it for."

“I just thought he was selling them.

“I have always known he wanted to be a dad, but I knew then he was 100 percent in.

“Amari is the sweetest little boy.

“Strangers' support helped us get our miracle baby.”

EJ said: "When we looked to do IVF and saw how much it cost. It was pretty pricey.

"Shoe reselling had taken off. I had about 100 pairs of shoes in my closet.

"I thought 'I could sell my collection.'

"There's no shoe bigger than us having a family.

"The fact that he's [Amari] here and he's healthy and everything is good with him. It's crazy."

Lauren and EJ started trying for a baby a couple of months after their wedding in April 2016 but had a miscarriage in December 2016 – just two days before Christmas.

Lauren said: “It was devastating and very unexpected.”

They started trying again in spring but suffered another traumatic miscarriage in May 2017.

Not giving up hope, the couple continued to try to conceive but after their eighth miscarriages in February 2021, Lauren had fertility tests which revealed she had elevated natural killer cells – which were causing her miscarriages.

Lauren said: “My body was trying to fight the pregnancy.”

Lauren was put on IVig treatment - an immunological treatment used for patients who have recurrent pregnancy loss - to help stop her immune system from attacking the pregnancies and the couple gave IVF a go.

They went for an egg retrieval in September 2021 and got 13 eggs and six embryos.

Lauren went for her egg transfer in September 2021 and found out they were pregnant in October 2021.

Lauren said: “I was excited but nervous.

“I was just so hopeful. This was going to be the one.”

Lauren’s pregnancy “wasn’t easy” and she was admitted to St. Mary's Hospital, Huntington, West Virginia, when she couldn’t keep anything down for two days.

When Amari’s heart rate started dropping, Lauren was transferred to Cabell Huntington Hospital, West Virginia, and taken for an emergency c-section.

Amari was born on May 1, 2022, weighing 5lbs 3oz at 5:51 am and taken to the neonatal unit.

Lauren had been under anesthetic for the operation and only got to hold her baby boy for the first time 36 hours later.

She said: “It was a surreal moment.

“I’m just glad he is here.

“Holding my miracle baby that I didn’t know if I was going to be able to have, it was the most beautiful thing.”

Amari spent 17 days in the hospital before he was able to come home, and Lauren said it is “incredible” to be his mom.

She said: “I really went through so much to have him.

“It’s amazing watching him grow.

“He brightens up every single day.”