Sheer Willpower

She never imagined the pursuit to parenthood would involve the emotional assault of an adoption agency's flexible morality--but it did. Lauri M. Velotta-Rankin and her husband were sent overseas by an unscrupulous adoption agency to chase the ghosts of children they'd never bring home. After turning to in-vitro fertilization (IVF), a life-threatening diagnosis sent them reeling with fear and to the brink of emotional collapse. Despite an onslaught of crushing blows, a gold thread of compassion was weaved into the fabric of their story. An infinite supply of benevolent refuge was found during an unanticipated two-week stay in the home of a Moroccan grandmother. Though there was no personal history, shared culture, or even common language, an immeasurable bond developed. And when the couple decided to explore domestic adoption, a pregnant teenager's weekly emails restored an emotion that had been ravaged throughout their journey: hope. Triumphing with revitalization, "Sheer Willpower" is an astonishing account of determination fortified by the resilience of maternal spirit.