Tyler and I got married in May 2014. Kids were not on our radar yet, and we went on our happy way, learning how to be married after both being single for awhile.
Flash forward to October 2015 – due to a pharmacy / doctor communication malfunction, I was suddenly off birth control! We decided, “Hey! Let’s try to get pregnant!”. November… December… January…
In early February 2016, we knew that things were not operating properly biologically. I made an appointment with an OBGYN, and after a series of appointments and tests, was diagnosed with insulin resistant polycystic ovarian syndrome, or PCOS with IR. We were assured by the doctor that adding medication in addition to losing weight would result in a pregnancy. So, yay! We moved right along.
We kept trying for the rest of 2016, and into 2017. Early summer, we realized that our future wasn’t in Bristol, TN, the town where we met and where I had lived my entire life. As we began looking for the right jobs else, God made a way and landed us in Rock Hill, SC in July 2017.
By December of 2017, with zero positive ovulation tests and zero positive pregnancy tests in our record, we needed a break. My mental health was suffering without birth control (hormonal birth control is the number one treatment for PCOS), and our marriage was struggling under the pressure to conceive.
It was around this time that we also started getting seriously involved with our church, Lifepointe. We had been attending for about three months, but were ready to step into serving roles and building relationships. It seemed like, no matter what part of the church we were involved in, adoption had touched someone’s life. In early 2018, we began to discuss what our family would look like if we pursued adoption rather than trying to get pregnant.
In April 2018, Tyler and I attended an informational session with Bethany Christian Services in Charlotte, NC. Receiving the information from Bethany and doing some more research on the process cemented for us that adoption was how God was leading us to build our family.
So, how did we get here, in 2021? We believe that God wants us to build our family, but we also believe that he wants us to do it in a way that honors our finances. For us, that means fundraising our adoption 100%. To do this, we’ve worked multiple jobs, gotten donations from friends and family, held all kinds of fundraisers, and worked with non-profits. Now, we’re so blessed to partner with Lifesong and Metrolina to fundraise the rest of our fees.
We’ve been offered a $6,000 matching grant and a $4,000 interest-free loan. Between the two, our adoption will be fully funded!
We have two agency fees left: our program fee II, which is $10,500 and our post-placement fee, which is $1,500. We also need to raise our legal fees, which can fall anywhere between $3,000 and $5,000. Any donation you make will go straight to our agency or to our legal team.
We love that you’re here, and we hope that you’ll consider helping us build our family.
STRIPE charges an online processing fee (2.2% +.30 USD per transaction). Your donations will be decreased by this amount. You may also send a check payable to “Lifesong for Orphans”. In the memo line please write “Antonacci 09448”, to ensure it is credited to our account. Please mail to Lifesong for Orphans, PO Box 9, Gridley, IL 61744.
Lifesong has been blessed with partners who underwrite all U.S. administrative and fundraising costs (TMG Foundation and other partners). That means 100% of your donation will go directly to the adoption.
- In following IRS guidelines, your donation is to Lifesong for Orphans. This organization retains full discretion over its use, but intends to honor the donor’s suggested use.
- Lifesong is a 501(c)3 tax exempt organization. Individual donations of $50 or more and yearly donations totaling $250 or more will receive a tax-deductible receipt. Receipts for donations under $50 will gladly be sent upon request.