Mount Pleasant, S.C. – After enduring multiple pregnancy losses and the heartbreaking experience of a stillbirth, Sarah Wong thought her dream of expanding her family was out of reach. But with the help of a local doctor, she defied the odds, and her story serves as a powerful reminder that help is available, and that no one facing similar challenges is ever truly alone.
A Difficult Journey Through Loss and Hope
For Sarah Wong, the path to motherhood was fraught with fear and uncertainty. “Every checkup, every little bit just was scary,” Wong shared. After suffering several miscarriages before and after the birth of her daughter, Ryn, Wong was cautiously optimistic when she reached 20 weeks into her pregnancy with a son, Hundley. But her relief soon turned to panic when she unexpectedly went into labor during a trip to Tennessee.
At just four days too early for life-saving measures, Hundley was unable to survive, and the hospital in Tennessee was unable to help. “It was devastating,” Wong said, describing the gut-wrenching experience of leaving the hospital with only the molds of Hundley’s handprints as a memory. “It was very difficult to not hear, ‘We’re going to try.’ Just try anything. I wouldn’t care if you threw the kitchen sink at it. It may not work, but let’s just try it.”
Giving Up Hope, Then Finding a New Path
After this loss, Wong felt like her family dreams had come to an end. “I had my one baby, and I was starting to be okay with the fact that she may be my one and only,” she said. But that dream was revived through the help of Dr. Cary Fishburne, a urogynecologist at East Cooper Medical Center, who offered a solution through a groundbreaking procedure never before done at the hospital.
Wong was diagnosed with cervical insufficiency (also known as an incompetent cervix), a rare condition where a woman’s cervix opens prematurely, which can lead to preterm birth. “Cervical incompetence is not that common,” Dr. Fishburne explained. “It’s maybe in the 1 to 2 percent range.”
A Life-Changing Procedure
Dr. Fishburne had a plan: a robotic-assisted transabdominal cerclage. This procedure involves making small incisions and placing a support band around the cervix to keep it closed during pregnancy. The surgery, a first for East Cooper Medical Center, gave Wong a second chance at the family she had dreamed of. “To be able for them to get their care locally without having to travel out of state is very rewarding,” Dr. Fishburne said.
The Long Road to a Miracle Baby
Months later, after the procedure, Wong received a positive pregnancy test, but the fear and anxiety didn’t go away. “I did until I held [my son],” she said, holding her breath through each passing month.
On December 27, 2024, Wong and her husband welcomed Archer into the world. Hundley’s ashes were in the delivery room with them, a way of keeping him a part of the family. “I needed the whole family to be there,” Wong said. “Hundley absolutely had to go and had to be there with us and had to be a part of the whole thing.”
A Joyful Moment for Dr. Fishburne
For Dr. Fishburne, seeing Archer’s birth was a deeply moving experience. “It was unbelievable,” he said, recalling the moment when Wong and her family finally got to experience the joy of bringing Archer into the world. “To be able to have the joy of seeing them up here on the postpartum unit at East Cooper was overwhelming.”
A Message of Hope
Wong, now living in Tennessee, wants others who are struggling with similar challenges to know they are not alone. “There’s help, and just to get that weight off is just so amazing,” she said. She hopes her story can inspire other women who have experienced loss and fear, and remind them that dreams of parenthood can still come true.
Dr. Fishburne’s message is clear: medical advancements have made it possible for women to overcome difficult odds and achieve their family goals. “If women find themselves struggling trying to achieve their fertility outcomes, their obstetric and their life outcomes, we have a lot of treatments that can be available for folks,” he said.
After months of anxiety, fear, and holding back joy, Wong was finally able to exhale when she held her son. Archer’s birth was the miracle that seemed impossible, yet so deeply worth every step of the journey.
