A tiny newborn swaddled in rainbow cloth, surrounded by more than 1,600 shots, even if the photograph is heartbreaking on its own, the narrative behind it makes it clear why this picture is so popular.
When Patricia and Kimberly decided to start a family, they knew there might be some challenges. They also understood it was possible to become parents. They both had kids from prior relationships, but they also wanted to start a family together.
What they assumed would be a straightforward process turned out to be considerably more difficult than they anticipated. Things didn’t go as planned. They persisted, and eventually they were successful in becoming parents.
We found doctor and he began the process of IVF. After the fertilization process and genetic testing, we had 5 good quality embryos. 3 girls and 2 boys. We were so excited!
So, we started the first transfer and quickly found out we were pregnant! At 6 weeks Patricia miscarried. We were crushed but told that it’s common to lose one before success! So, we went in to try again. Once again, we were pregnant! But..
We were crushed but told that it’s common to lose one before success! So, we went in to try again. Once again, we were pregnant! But lost that one a few weeks later at 8 weeks.”
“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 with the assistance of Dr. John Couvaras, a board-certified ob-gyn and reproductive endocrinologist, their perseverance was rewarded. 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. They were able to accomplish their initial vision thanks to photographer Samantha Packer. Patricia explains, “My wife collected every single needle that I used for injections, complete with caps and plastic sealing surrounding them.
We had planned from the beginning to do a picture with all the shots, although we had no idea there would be so many, but we wanted to document a journey that was very personal to us. When I inquired Samantha at Packer Family Photography about taking the photo, she responded that she was looking forward to the challenge. I gave her all of the shots and instructed her to make the decision based on her judgment.
When we showed up for the shoot and saw them all on the carpet we were blown away. It was very moving to watch her snap the photo. We fell in love when she shared it for us to see. But we had no idea that so many other people would adore it. After that, it blew up so quickly.
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.”
