"18 Years of Hoping for Pregnancy, It Finally Happened at the Most Unexpected Moment"

Aliza Khouri will never forget the conversations she had as a 20-year-old, during the period leading up to her marriage with her future husband, which naturally focused on the essence of life. "We were a young, engaged couple, excitedly discussing our aspirations for life. My husband was clear about wanting 12 children, while I was ready to settle for seven. But it was clear to both of us that we wanted a large family. These conversations were so naive because we never imagined we'd encounter such significant difficulty when trying to have our first child".

But soon, the harsh reality hit them. "Half a year after the wedding, we already realized we had a problem conceiving, and after a year, we started treatment. The truth is, back then, I wasn't stressed; I was very focused on my professional studies and was just a young woman with life ahead of me. But after we went through seven consecutive treatments that seemed normal, and still had no success, I began to understand that our story wasn't simple at all".

Aliza emphasizes that, in fact, none of the medical staff could explain why they weren't succeeding. "There was a very esteemed professor who accompanied us, initially through public service and then through private service. In the beginning, he was very optimistic, but finally, he delivered a discouraging statement that I later understood was said to other couples in our situation: 'I'll grow hair on the palm of my hand if you have children'. Thus, he basically sealed our fate. I remember coming home broken and despairing, feeling that the end of the world had arrived. This was after we had been through so much and had invested enormous sums. I felt the greatest despair possible".

Aliza notes that it was also very difficult for her husband to digest the meaning of things. "We both love children so much, always dreamed of a big family, and even our nieces and nephews knew us as the best uncles in the world, whom everyone enjoyed being around. We were almost thirty by then and didn't understand how this could happen to us, and why it was happening specifically to us".

But then, particularly from darkness and difficulty, Aliza began to understand that if the great professor gives up, only Hashem could lead them to salvation, and they had to rely solely on Him. "We continued and went through additional treatments," she describes, "there were a total of 14 treatments, filled with a lot of pain, pricks, financial expenses, and mainly shattered hopes. But I must note that I never gave up. I always believed that the day would come when I would become a mother".

Years of Waiting

The unbelievable happened, but it took a very long time. Aliza takes us forward, telling that at a certain stage, she and her husband decided to separate, and she faced not only the struggle of waiting for a child but also divorce.

"Those were very tough years," she says, "Even though I had a good position at the Bank of Israel, worked around the clock, and was never bored for a moment, the internal pain was relentless, and the loneliness was the hardest. I am clear that if I hadn't held on to faith, I would have fallen into depression, because wandering for more than ten years with the feeling that you have neither a husband nor a child to carry your legacy is very dreadful. Especially since I continually saw friends and family who were already managing large families and enjoying so much joy. I have a friend my age who already has grandchildren aged seven. I know nothing is at my expense, but it is hard to ignore this. Thank God, I was blessed with great faith, and I always believed that better days would come".

At the age of 39, Aliza met her current husband, and very quickly they both realized their intentions were serious and were headed towards marriage. "From the moment we met, I informed him that in my past, there were numerous fertility treatments, but I emphasized that I was not giving up, and as long as it's possible to continue trying, even if the doctors say there is no chance, I will keep making efforts. My husband went along with me. He already had four children from a previous marriage, so there was no pressure in this story, but I remember him saying from the most genuine place: 'I would always be happy to expand the people of Israel'".

The wedding came very quickly, and in less than three weeks from the engagement, they were already standing under the chuppah. "Our wedding was very small," she recounts, "just a quorum of ten people and the Creator of the Universe. In fact, most family members only knew post-wedding that we got married..."

But challenges never cease, they generally just switch. This was the case for Aliza since, during the period after her wedding, both of her elderly parents became ill, and she found herself busy day-to-day taking care of them. "My husband accepted it with great understanding, and I must say I appreciate it very much, as caring for parents, in a sense, came at the expense of time at home and building our marriage. It simply demanded a lot of time and effort from me".

A few months after the wedding, Aliza's mother passed away. "At least I was happy that she saw I was happy and had rebuilt my home," she says. "I continued taking care of my father, and I remember explaining to my husband that I felt it was the most important thing in the world, even if it would come at the expense of fertility treatments. I remember he was shocked because he knew how important treatments were to me, but he went along with me.

Aliza's parents

"When my mother passed away, my father was so weak that he didn't even come down to the funeral tent, and when I went up to his room, I asked him: 'Dad, bless me'. My father continued to lie in bed, not even managing to get up, and he blessed me to have lasting descendants. At that moment, my aunt entered and couldn't help but comment with a smile: 'You really haven't given up? Do you think at 50 you'll give birth?' I wasn't offended, I just told her: 'I don't know if I'll give birth, but I believe that a parental blessing has a special power'. Then I pleaded with my father: 'You have a direct line with the Creator now, bless me'. And that's exactly what happened. It is clear to me that this blessing had immense power".

Due to the Honor of Parents

"These were very complicated days in which I tried to juggle in all spheres, both in the new home we built, my work, and certainly, and foremost, with my father," Aliza continues in her story. "My father was already in a very bad state, and I felt that every day I cared for him, it was an immense merit of honoring parents. It is impossible to describe how important it was to me".

And then, a month after she got up from the mourning period for her mother, Aliza learned she was pregnant. "It was most surprising," she notes with excitement, "Both due to my advanced age, as I had already passed 40, due to the many treatments I had been through, and because these were days I wasn't even thinking about it. The news came without any warning, but of course, the excitement was huge, and my husband was also very happy".

Aliza says that immediately after informing her husband of the good news, she told her father. "My father was already very weak, he barely managed to get out of bed, but I remember the sigh of relief he let out..." She tears up and her voice chokes. "Afterward, he said the sentence I'll never forget all my life - 'Now I feel wonderful'. About a month later, he passed away".

Aliza's father

The pregnancy, despite being considered high-risk, went smoothly for Aliza, without any problems or complications. "The doctors required a lot of tests due to my age and situation, they frightened me with the possibility of complications and issues, but Hashem granted me special divine assistance, and I wasn't stressed at all. All the test results were perfectly normal".

Eventually, she gave birth on time, to a healthy and complete baby. "After many years of waiting, I didn't believe the dream would come true," she says, "I named him Malachi Menashe, and from the day he was born, I never stop thanking Hashem. I know He did great miracles for me that are not at all taken for granted.

"Sometimes," she notes, "people talk with me and ask what we did and how it is that after so many years when it was clear my body couldn't give birth, it suddenly happened. My answer is one and only - it is clear to me that the honoring of parents I insisted upon had a significant impact".

Does Malachi know he's a child of so many prayers?

"Malachi is almost six now, and he's an amazing child thank God, bringing us much joy. He himself tells that his mother waited for him for 18 years, and since the age of one, he knows how to recite 'A Song for Gratitude'".

Child Malachi Menashe

Just before finishing her story, Aliza notes: "Throughout the long years I waited to build my home and earn the right to bring a child into the world, I would visit many righteous people’s graves, always praying and asking the Creator: 'Do this for me so that I can raise and sanctify Your name publicly'. That's also why I am sharing my story now. I want to shout 'There is none besides Him!' and encourage every woman waiting for something, no matter what it is, to know that even in difficult situations, there is a chance that everything can turn around for the better. Hashem can do everything, we just need to ask and pray to Him".