Five years ago, John and Diane Buchan believed they may never have children.
Fast forward to today, and the north-east couple are proud parents to four-year-old Carmen and her little brother, John, who is three.
Yesterday the couple handed over more than £6,000 in donations to the Aberdeen Fertility Centre to show their gratitude for their “miracle” children.
The money was raised at a charity night – their third in aid of the unit which made their dreams of a family come true.
Mrs Buchan, of St Fergus, turned to experts after endometriosis – a condition suffered by about 2million women in Britain – left her with fertility problems.
The 30-year-old said: “We had been trying to conceive for about a year and a half. I knew I had endometriosis but I had no idea it was so bad, or thought it would affect my fertility.
“My bairns are my absolute life. Having them has made us want to do anything we can to raise money for the centre. We also want to raise awareness about the problems of fertility.
“A lot of people think IVF has been around forever, but it really hasn’t. If it had been my parents being told they couldn’t have children naturally they would have had far fewer options.”
Her husband John, 37, added: “We were told we would never be able to conceive naturally. It was a very dark moment for us, but at the same time we were given hope, because the centre said they could help us.
“That is why we want to keep fundraising, because they have given us so much.”
The couple have held three charity nights in the past three years, and have now raised more than £25,000 for the Aberdeen University centre.
Their latest donation will be put towards new equipment which could give women having IVF a better chance of having a baby.
Alison McTavish, nurse manager at the Aberdeen Fertility Centre, said: “We are absolutely bowled over by the generosity of Diane and John. They get great support from their family and friends, which benefits the facility so much.
“We are looking to put it towards a piece of technology that has the capability to take time-lapse photos. It takes lots of photos of a developing embryo and will help embryologists choose the best developing embryo. This will give a better chance of a pregnancy.”
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