Anastasia’s Story

The year 2014 was supposed to be the second greatest year next to 2013 when we said our “I Dos”. I was pregnant! I had gone in for my ultrasound that morning. The baby was doing great, the heartbeat was strong and everything was going as planned. I was so excited. But on my way home, I was rear ended by a vehicle and put into oncoming traffic. All I can remember saying was “I’m pregnant, I’m pregnant.” I was told three weeks later that the baby had died upon impact, but because I had sustained so much trauma, the health care professionals and my family thought it was best not to tell me immediately. 

As months and years went by, my husband and I could not conceive on our own. We decided to start rounds of IUI treatments. I was successful for two of them, but oddly enough I would always miscarry around the anniversary date of the accident. We were sent off to specialists in Toronto to run tests and everything came back normal with both my husband and I. We were told that the recurrent miscarriages were unexplainable but may have been partly caused by PTSD I had been suffering since the accident. The last thing we decided to try was IVF. We both agreed that this would be the final thing as it was just too much for me. IVF was another disappointment. They were confident at this point that I would not be able to have any children and my hopes and dreams of becoming a mother were shattered. 

Fast forward to the year 2022, when I found out I was pregnant! I was in disbelief. I had so many mixed emotions but most of all, I was scared. I did not want to go through another miscarriage after finally accepting everything that could not be. I struggled through the whole pregnancy. My husband and family were my number one supporters and helped me get through it all. We had many scares along the way, but baby was definitely a fighter. On February 3, 2023, weighing 6lbs 11oz, we welcomed our miracle baby, Anastasia Valentina. My heart and soul have never felt so complete. 

 

Written by Evelyn Pavlakidis-Soares, mom of our cover kid, Anastasia