In January 1998, our daughter was born. She was born healthy and vigorous at 6 lb. 14 oz. To say that our hearts are filled with joy is an understatement and perhaps even a cliche, yet no other words can begin to describe our feelings. A year ago last May, I was admitted to John Dempsey Hospital for treatment for ovarian hyperstimulation. Less than two weeks earlier, I had undergone a retrieval of eggs so that, using in vitro fertilization with micromanipulation, my husband and I might have a chance at what so many people take for granted, a family of our own. At this time, I wish to express my gratitude to all of you who gave us that hope and that chance. In our seven-year search for help, never had we been treated so professionally and with so much care as when working with the staff at The Center. The interest of each of you in our welfare clearly showed that your dedication extends far beyond a desire for scientific advancement. It is an interest in bettering the quality of life and providing hope for your patients. Recently, the subject of infertility has received much media coverage in the popular press. The media titillates the public with stories of women giving birth to seven children, children searching for their sperm-donor fathers, and sixty-one-year-old women giving birth to multiples. The infertile couple is depicted as upscale Yuppies, who, because of career aspirations, have postponed children until it is too late. How unfair such reporting is to so many of us who do not fit into this neat picture, and how particularly unfair it is to the fine medical professionals who have helped so many. Unfortunately, too little media attention has been given to the many people whose lives have been changed for the better because of breakthroughs in the field. Those individuals exist who would criticize your work, saying that it tampers with nature and God's will. I invite those critics to gaze into the eyes of my daughter. A higher power, for those who care to see it, was involved in her creation, I have no doubt. A simple statement made by one of the Center's clinical staff helped me to clarify my own feelings about this issue. At one of our initial meetings, the staff member carefully explained the drug protocol, the steps of the procedure, and possible effects and side effects. When she finished explaining about the implantation, I recall asking her, finally, What do the doctors do next? What medicine do I take next? She smiled and responded, No more medicine. We wait for the miracle. As I drove home from The Center that day with my husband, I thought of her kind works and was able to truly come to terms with my question. I came to the realization that just because science gives us insight and knowledge into the workings of nature, and because research allows us to involve ourselves in nature's process, that same insight, knowledge, and research do not make that process itself any less the miracle. My husband and I thank you for treating us with such kindness; and especially, we thank you for our miracle.