The joy of becoming a parent is indescribable, but becoming a first-time parent at the age of 50? There really aren’t words for that.
“It was so surreal,” said Susie Troxler, 50. “Everything had come together for that moment to happen. It’s hard to wrap our heads around – we’re no longer just husband and wife, we’re ‘mommy’ and ‘daddy.’”
Troxler and husband Tony, 61, gave birth to Lily Antonia Troxler on Wednesday, Sept. 29. The couple, together 13 years, had always wanted a child, but it just never happened. Everything changed the day Troxler met with Dr. Carolyn Harraway-Smith, Cone Health’s chief medical officer for women’s health, during an annual checkup.
In that moment, Troxler told Harraway-Smith about her desire to be a mother and about the challenges she and her husband faced in becoming parents. Harraway-Smith walked Troxler through her options and, together, the group decided to try in-vitro fertilization.
The couple went through the process for two years without luck. Then, with just one embryo left, they conceived. That two-year journey that began with a question ended with Harraway-Smith personally delivering Lily.
“It’s always a treat when I can manage a pregnancy and complete the delivery, but this was extra special,” she said. “As I was starting the c-section, Susie was humming a gospel song that I am very familiar with. I knew we were both in good hands.”
After an emotional two years, the couple’s dedication to each other and their dream finally paid off, as they held their “miracle baby” in the delivery room.
“We’re just honored to be the parents of somebody like her and have the chance to watch all of this unfold because medically this was impossible, but she’s here,” Susie said.
Today, the Troxlers are home with their “little warrior princess,” who’s already smiling and showing she has an inquisitive mind. The couple hopes their story might inspire others.
