Richelle Carey knew she'd have a child when the timing made sense.

She didn't have a husband because she was occupied with her career and hadn't married yet. But she was 43 years old, and her biological clock was ticking.

Carey always imagined getting married and having children, but year after year passed without it coming true. To be extra-cautious and to give herself options in the future, she froze her eggs. Carey kept them for three years, until she was 46.

By then, her age had begun limiting her egg production, and her first IVF try with a sperm donor failed. She debated trying again, but the cost was extremely high, and her odds of success were tiny. Though Carey was disappointed, she held on to her dream of motherhood and persisted. She decided to explore adoption in Qatar at the time. Little did she now, but that would create some unique challenges.

In Qatar, adopters must pay for the services of a social worker. And before she could adopt, a social worker had to do a home study. Finding a social worker would have been far faster and simpler in the States, but Carey ended up bringing in someone from Germany who then completed the exam in Doha. On top of that, she had a very tough time getting a US firm to assist with her living overseas. She miraculously made it onto the waiting list of a Texas agency and was approved in the fall of 2018.

Everything seemed well in hand until another unexpected wrinkle appeared: Carey was rejected as a prospective adoptive parent to one child because its parents felt she lived too far away. This blow somehow hit her even harder than the failed IVF.

She'd known how long the odds were for a successful IVF procedure, but she had no idea adoption would be difficult, as well.

Nonetheless, she stayed upbeat and began to rethink her strategy — and her life. Carey realized that moving back to America could greatly increase her chances of getting the child she'd always wanted. "I told myself that the right baby will come to me," and it did.

Carey resigned from her post as an Al Jazeera English anchor in 2020 and returned to Houston, TX. Then, she received a call from her adoption agency in March 2021 -- the birth mother of a 6-week-old wanted to meet her.

Carey visited with her birth mother the next day. She knew right away that Avery was the baby she had been waiting for. "I'd like to adopt him," Carey stated after a few hours. In four days, he was with her. Carey, who turned 50 in October, and Avery, who is now one year old, had been living in Houston with her parents. They've been staying in their guest house.

Your dream may look different from everyone else's, but it's still completely possible. It's never too late to go for what you want to be, to do, and to have. Believe boldly, work for it, and you will be amazed by the blessings that come to you!