Welcome to our blog, the story of which has not been fully told. A story of Owen Gregory Cooper, his brother, his mother, his father, and countless friends and family who love, support and pray for him daily. In order to fully depict the story in a manner that is both honoring of Owen, and glorifying to our Lord, we must look back in time, make some introductions and show how the Lord has blessed and entrusted us with Owen Gregory.
My name is Brian Cooper, a 31-year-old living in the Dallas area, believer in Christ (and His miracles), who married my college sweetheart when we were 21 and 22 respectively. We had zero money, were finishing up college and neither of us really knew what we were doing with our lives. All we knew is that the Lord would provide. My bride Kelsey, was finishing nursing school, took a job in Lubbock as a post-surgical nurse at University Medical Center, to make ends meet while I waited on the Lord for an opportunity. I took a job at a construction company shortly there after and began to get to work. Over the next five years we traveled, enjoyed spending time together, and had no idea how simple our lives were! About three years into our marriage the baby itch hit Kelsey. We decided to “pull the goalie” and see what happens. After a year of waiting, we decided to consult an infertility specialist in the area. I remember vividly the call that I received from my wife (in tears), explaining the conversation that she just had with the fertility specialist. “She said that we will never have children,” my wife cried. I was in complete disbelief. Shock and horror overcame us, and as the nurse discussed the medical diagnosis, we began to pray. Kelsey has a condition called Poly-Cystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) that makes natural growth and ovulation very difficult for her. I was told that I have low counts, weird protein makeup and my swimmers are misshapen. With all of these factors, we had less that an 0.5% chance of conceiving naturally. Our only option, was to start saving money for a very expensive In vitro Fertilization procedure. At this point, we had both advanced in our careers, but in no way had the $40,000 it was going to take to pay for this. So, we began to pray. Up until this point, we had been very blessed with success and advancements in work. I just kind of kept God on the sidelines as a coach. A coach that I could go to, get a few tips and pointers, and then be on my way. I thought that I gained my successes on my own. It took the news of infertility to break me. I needed God to intercede. Over the next few weeks and months, we came to the realization that nothing can be done apart from the Lord and completely let go of all of our plans and desires for ourselves. It turns out, that God knows best.
Our prayers were lifted to the Lord, utterly humbled and fully seeking His will for our lives. We had totally and completely surrendered to His will. I remember casually mentioning to the Lord “anywhere you want us, Lord, we will go.” I mentioned that casually because we had just built a house and just knew that we would be in West Texas indefinitely. A week later, without solicitation, I started getting calls from companies in Dallas. I was quick to turn down their offers. I was happy where I was, loved the people who I worked with, loved our friends and church family and Kelsey felt the exact same. After more persistence, we began to realize that the Lord had set a path before us and he needed us to be in Dallas. Several conversations were had with a potential employer (and several offers turned down). At that point, he asked what I would need to make it work. Speaking with Kelsey that night, we came up with a list of “demands” that would have to be met to know that this was the Lord’s desire for us. The employer met every single one. We sold our house in two days. Actually, Kelsey, sold our house in two days. We packed, moved, took a trip to Europe that we booked on Wednesday to leave on Saturday, and Kelsey got a job at Children’s Medical Center of Dallas, all in a matter of a couple of weeks.
Over the next several months, we bought a house, settled into the Dallas area, and began our search for two things. The first of which was a new church home. We hated to leave our church home in Lubbock and compared every church to our previous (which it turns out, is NOT healthy). The second of which was a new team of fertility specialists. As life settled and after months of searching, we found both of the things that we were searching for. Reach Rockwall became our new church family and Dallas Fertility became our new medical team.
Totally relying on the Lord’s direction, without any direction of your own, is sometimes difficult and taxing, but it is always RIGHT. The Lord truly knows best, regardless of how well you think that you have it figured out.
In January of 2016, we became pregnant with our first son. Easton William Cooper was born on October 11, 2016, weighing 9 lbs. 9.4 oz at 11:11 in the evening. He was conceived with the help of very little medical intervention. God knew best. God always knows best.
His faithfulness never ceases. The Lord continued to go before us, and in March 2018 we were surprised with a spontaneous pregnancy without any medical intervention. We laughed and cried tears of joy as the idea of having another child without the assistance of a medical team had never crossed our minds. Oh, you of little faith – The Lord is in control and His timing is perfect.
The words “God is always faithful” are written on our back door. Unbeknownst to us, those four little words would sustain our family over the next several months, as we fight through complications with our little blessing. “Your child is very sick. I am sorry, but he is not expected to make it” are words that no parent ever wants to hear. We know that our God is good and able to do miraculous things. We pray boldly, knowing He hears the cries of our heart. Thank you for joining us on this journey as we wait and see what big plans the Lord has for our sweet boy, Owen Gregory Cooper.
Owen Gregory Cooper 