When Les married Hannah, she had five children from her previous marriage. He raised them with love, but always wanted a child from their own union. He and Hannah had tried to have children during the first 20 years of their marriage with no result. When she was 50, Hannah investigated her options and found she would be able to carry a child with help from the Washington University Infertility and Reproductive Medicine Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital.

Hannah says, "Les raised mine as if they were his own, so I thought I would be happy to conceive his baby with the help of an egg donor and raise it as my own."

But Hannah was racing against the clock. Nearing 48, she couldn''t wait the several years often necessary for a donor egg from an egg registry. Her doctor at the Infertility Center told Hannah and Les to look for their own donor in the interim.

Their first lucky break came when a friend''s daughter who had the same physical characteristics as Hannah donated. Disappointingly, none of the eggs were usable. Hannah and Les thought it was the end of the world, but almost miraculously, the very next day Hannah''s friend Marianne phoned to say she would be willing to donate. They had known Marianne for many years and were thrilled with her offer.

Marianne''s eggs resulted in a successful embryo transplant and a successful pregnancy and birth. The child of that donation today is a healthy and happy 8-year-old who excels at her schoolwork and her piano and violin lessons.

A year and a half after the birth of their first daughter, Hannah and Les wanted to give her a brother or sister. They went back to the Washington University Infertility Center to activate the frozen embryos they had stored from the first fertilization. Sadly, the child of that pregnancy died at 14 weeks in utero. Not only devastated by the loss of their little boy, Les and Hannah knew they were out of embryos.

Marianne donated again, but by this time she was 39 years old, and the donor eggs were not robust enough for fertilization. Their doctor advised Les and Hannah that time was passing, and Hannah, nearing 52, would not long be able to carry a child.

A young woman from another town — a friend of a friend — offered to help. This gave them another successful fertilization and pregnancy. A second girl was born three years after her sister.

Hannah says, "When I was 53, Les had his family — two healthy daughters. They are terrific. It was not like I did the work and he stood by. At every turn, he was emotionally engaged, and each letdown was as traumatic for him as it was for me. He really wanted this family."

Hannah and Les are enthusiastic about being older parents. They think they make better parents — wiser, less anxious, with a wider perspective. Hannah says she expects the years between 50 and 70 will be very interesting. "The kids keep us young."