Special to The Mountaineer
Lori Jazarevic, whose baby was conceived through the miracle of in vitro fertilization after her husband Danny left for Iraq last November, is celebrating this Independence Day by being proud of her military husband and looking forward to his safe return on Oct. 1 — just in time for the birth of their baby girl due Oct. 17.
“It’s very hard being here alone and pregnant,” said Lori. “But I know Danny is doing this for his country and I am very, very proud of him.”
Lori, rehabilitation director at the Brian Center, and Danny, a vascular and trauma surgeon, tried to have a baby for 10 years. After three miscarriages, they opted to try in vitro fertilization.
The Jazarevics went to the Center for Applied Reproduction Sciences in Asheville for a special type of in vitro fertilization called intracytoplasmic sperm injection in which the sperm is directly injected into the egg.
“Part of my agreeing for Danny to volunteer to go to Iraq was that we could still work on the fertility while he was gone,” said Lori. “Before Danny left, the center was able to freeze his sperm sample.”
Ten of Lori’s eggs were used in the treatment process. Out of those 10, two fertilized and were implanted into her uterus Feb. 4.
“It was hard — the hardest part was Danny not being there with me, but if you want a baby bad enough, you do it,” said Lori.
Unfortunately, one baby was lost at seven weeks, but Baby Girl Jazarevic is doing great five months into the pregnancy.
When Lori talks with Danny during their almost-daily phone calls, he tells her he would give anything to be sitting on the front porch of their log cabin watching the chipmunks. That’s probably because it is currently a scalding 120 degrees in Iraq.
Danny is the deputy commander of clinical services for the 44th Medical Brigade out of Fort Bragg and is currently in charge of all medical operations in Iraq.
Danny serves as a surgeon to Americans and Iraqis alike.
“He performed a femoral artery repair on a 4-year-old Iraqi girl caught in crossfire – it saved her life,” said Lori. “He also did a limb reattachment on an American soldier - the first in history in the theater of war, rather than evacuating him.”
Lori had a scare recently when Danny told her that a trailer, only 10 feet away from him, was blown up.
“We were ten feet away from our baby being fatherless,” said Lori. “I do cry at times, and every time the dogs bark, I look out the window and pray that it’s not a policeman coming to tell me that Danny is gone.”
Lori says the worst two days of her week are Saturday and Sunday when work is not demanding her attention.
“I don’t have any family around – my family is in Palm Beach, Fla. But everyone I have met here has been amazing — neighbors, co-workers and friends,” said Lori.
Sally Schaffer, a midwife at Haywood Women’s Medical Center, has been great and has adopted me as a friend.”
When Danny returns home in October, he plans to retire from the military and practice as a vascular surgeon at Haywood Regional Medical Center.
“Danny had the opportunity to take several high command positions including serving as the Assistant Secretary of Health in Washington, D.C., but he wanted to stay in Haywood County,” said Lori.
“We think Haywood County is the very best place to raise our baby and I feel that the county will benefit from having someone of Danny’s caliber working for the people here.”
Until Danny’s return, Lori continues to occupy her mind by working, caring for her unborn baby, waiting — and waiting some more.
“The only time I will rest easy is when I see him get off that plane,” she said. “After that, I’ll fight Uncle Sam for him.”
If you know of someone with an interesting story, contact Vicki at 452-0661, ext. 128 or e-mail news@themountaineer.com.