A special story in two parts

BY WENDY ELLIOTT

welliott@kentvilleadvertiser.ca

NovaNewsNow.com

Young William, or Will as his Dad calls him, is thriving in his home in Kentville’s west end. Wallace Berrey adores showing him off.

“We go for walks in the neighbourhood and people ask how he’s doing. We say he’s here.”

Then, Wallace adds, “I take him into the Bank of Nova Scotia and all the cubicles empty as people come to take a look.”

At almost three weeks Will doesn’t know it yet, but he is one special baby.

Wallace and Sylvia Berrey radiate satisfaction, knowing this new son completes their family. “Lily was constantly asking us for a brother or sister,” recalls Sylvia.

Now Lily calmly tells visitors that her new brother is cute and she is planning to teach him “lots of things.” No pre-schooler could comprehend miracles.

The rollercoaster journey of emotions began for the family last August when “right out of the blue” Joanne Agnew shocked her sister with the news she had made an appointment with a fertility specialist.

Very close to her sister, Sylvia says they talked regularly, sharing the details of the process. Eventually, she and Wallace received a booklet listing the characteristics of potential sperm donors.

“It was like going through a catalogue. We had to make three choices,” she said, based on descriptions of eye colour, hair texture, ethnicity and fertility.

“It took a second try,” notes Sylvia, but “I just knew it was going to work.” The two families got the news as they were about to head out on holiday together.

Afterward, Joanne called following every medical appointment to “tell us what was going on.” Then Sylvia and Wallace would go online to check out prenatal development.

They all went to Ontario

In May, Sylvia, who is a surgical nurse at Valley Regional Hospital, was starting to feel emotional about the process going on in Ontario. She decided to start her leave early.

They all went: Wallace and Lily, along with grandmother Judy Forsyth of Black River. Will arrived on his due day after a middle of the night knock-on-the door that sent everybody, but babysitting Judy, to the hospital.

Sylvia acknowledges feeling so incredibly guilty about the gift her sister has given her. She says she can’t forget the stream of tears on Joanne’s face as they left.

But back in Kentville after five weeks away there is the excitement of being a four-member family. Sylvia says the distance from her sister makes it both easier and harder to bear.

“She can’t just come over and see him,” she notes sadly. But the Berreys have pledged to stay in close touch. Lily and Joanne’s daughter, Ella, are both starting school this fall.

“Lily and Joanne have a close connection anyway,” says Sylvia. The two families have much in common.

A U.S. citizen, Wallace is currently a full-time dad. A certified Emergency Room Technician, his specialization is not recognized in Nova Scotia.

For the sake of strong family bonding, Sylvia says she is just as glad they can survive for now on her maternity leave salary.

Most recently residents of Maine, the Berreys are happier close to extended family. Being an only child, Wallace believes in connecting and he likes the sense of community he’s discovering in Kentville.

“There’s a focus on community. Everybody looks out for each other,” he says fondly, looking on as Sylvia bounces her baby boy in her lap.

A casual observer might view her as any happy new mother, but there is no doubt these two parents are enjoying an extra level of fulfillment.