Starting a Family
Tyler and Mandi felt no need to take things slow and they were ready to start a family together. “We both knew we wanted our own family so greatly but didn’t know what God had planned for us,” Mandi said. Mandi had been dealing with Crohn’s disease for the last 17 years of her life. Since being diagnosed with the disease, she has had dozens of surgeries.
She is currently being treated at a clinic and receiving monthly infusions and surgeries to keep the disease in remission. So, with her history of health problems and Tyler’s struggle with PTSD, the path to starting their family wasn’t going to go as smoothly as they hoped. The couple was having a very hard time trying to conceive a baby naturally.
A Leap of Faith
In 2013, Tyler and Mandi met. It's safe to say that they fell for one another pretty much right away. Although Tyler was about to be sent to the Middle East for a second time, he was feeling confident about the start of his relationship with Mandi and knew that they were both very invested in one another.
Tyler's deployment would be very hard on Mandi, who was battling some health problems, but they both knew they wanted each other in their future.
Making it Official
Tyler would be away for nearly a year. Clearly, it would be hard on the couple in love. But, it was also a chance for the two to look at what really mattered in life. “He was deployed for nine months, and one month after he got home, he proposed and we got married a few weeks later,” Mandi later shared.
Tyler chose not to re-enlist in the Army again and decided it was time to put his Army days behind. He was diagnosed with severe PTSD in 2015 and decided to seek treatment at the VA medical center. He was also ready to begin a new life with his bride.
A Bump in the Road
As is natural, the couple became increasingly frustrated and depressed as their weeks of trying to conceive turned into months and eventually years. "We tried for years to get pregnant but soon came to realize that it wasn’t going to happen, nor would it be safe for my body to sustain the miracle of pregnancy due to my illness,” said Mandi.
"After failed pregnancy test and failed pregnancy test, I talked to my doctors," Mandi said. "They were still hopeful, but I realized quickly that I couldn't gain weight. So I'm like, 'how am I going to be able to carry a child?" The couple, eager to become parents, weren't about to give up on their dream so easily.
Considering Adoption
The Taylors knew that they were meant to be parents and weren't about to give up their dream because they couldn't conceive. "Because of the health battles we’ve been given, we weren’t the type of people to just ‘throw in the towel’ and let our dreams of becoming parents get shattered" Mandi shared.
So, they began to discuss alternatives. They ultimately chose adoption as the safest choice for their unique situation. However, despite choosing this option, it didn't mean that things were about to flow smoothly. Anybody who has adopted can attest to the fact that it is a lengthy and difficult process.