Twas the night before Christmas…an IVF miracle

Twas the night before Christmas in a quiet Virginia town, where a buzz was building about a little miracle preparing to touch down.

Last week, I shared the story of my own Christmas miracle—a DNA result that set my family free.

But mine isn’t the only miracle connected to this season.

I recently read the incredible backstory of Elizabeth Carr, the first IVF baby born in the United States, as told in her own words.

Forty-four years ago, while the rest of the world wrapped presents and prepared for Christmas, her parents were preparing for something spectacular: the birth of their long-awaited child, conceived through IVF technology still widely misunderstood.

They called her the country’s first “test tube baby”.

The media storm around the Norfolk General Hospital and Eastern Virginia Medical School was unlike anything they had ever seen. Reporters camped outside. Staff were questioned relentlessly. Security was a concern.

So the team got creative.

They launched Operation Santa Claus.

Elizabeth’s father, Roger, was given a fake last name to protect the family’s privacy.

His hospital badge read:
“Roger Dalton, Santa.”

And, amazingly, it worked.

On December 28, 1981, Elizabeth Carr entered the world—a gift to her parents, and a gift to every family who would one day rely on IVF to build their own.

Her arrival didn’t just make headlines.

It opened doors, softened hearts, and paved the way for millions of children who would follow.

IVF gave me my family, the greatest gift I’ve ever received.

Wishing you a holiday season filled with miracles big and small.

#firstIVFbaby
#christmasmiracle
#IVF