A teacher shared her grief after 5 miscarriages — her heart drops after seeing this student message

A teacher in Tennessee lost five pregnancies. She and her husband had tried for years to become parents, and even fertility treatment had ended in disappointment. Then, one day, a Facebook message arrived from a woman she had once taught in high school. Not a close relative, not a doctor, a former student. And, after Ashley Totti read that message, the future she had imagined slipping away suddenly looked very different. Now, what could someone from an old classroom possibly say at a moment like that? Hello, awesome fans! John here, and today I have two extraordinary stories for you. First, two best friends make a promise that leads to a twist neither could have planned. Then we'll meet Ashley's former student and discover what was written in the message and what she was prepared to do about it. Let's begin in South Carolina. Caitlin Creech had imagined being a mother since she was little. She and her husband, Matt, hoped to have a child together. But her first pregnancy ended in miscarriage. So did the next. During the third, the couple had seen a heartbeat before learning the pregnancy had ended. Caitlin was a nurse who worked around pregnancy and childbirth. She understood the medical language, but knowing the terminology couldn't make those appointments easier. Doctors found that she had a condition called antiphospholipid syndrome, which can increase the risk of pregnancy complications. Caitlin tried treatments after treatments. Fertility medication, insemination and IVF, three miscarriages, three unsuccessful inseminations and four unsuccessful embryo transfers. Years went by. Eventually, she and Matt had to consider another way forward. Her friend, Heather Davis, had been beside her through much of it. They'd known each other for 23 years. And after Caitlin's second miscarriage, Heather had offered something extraordinary. If Caitlin never needed someone to carry her baby, she would do it. Years later, Caitlin finally called. By then, the couple had spent so much on fertility treatment with no success that accepting help was no longer a distant possibility. Heather didn't hesitate. She had two sons of her own and a husband, Brandon, supported her decision. Both families worked through the medical and legal preparations. For six months, they got ready for Heather to carry an embryo created for Caitlin and Matt. And then, before Heather's embryo transfer, Caitlin noticed something unusual. Her cycle was late. She took a pregnancy test. Positive. She took another. And another. All three said the same thing. Caitlin was pregnant. But this was not the moment for careless celebrations. Caitlin had already endured three losses. A positive test was wonderful news, not a guarantee. She spoke with her doctor and the two families discussed what to do. Given Caitlin's history, they chose to go ahead with Heather's transfer. It worked. Now, both women were pregnant with Caitlin and Matt's biological children. For a while, both pregnancies progressed, but around 24 weeks, Caitlin developed a fierce headache and discovered her blood pressure was dangerously high. At the hospital, doctors diagnosed preeclampsia, a serious condition that can threaten mother and baby. They also found worrying signs in the baby's blood flow. At 26 weeks, Scarlett Delaney Creech was delivered by C-section. She weighed just one pound five ounces. The neonatal team took over immediately and Scarlett needed a ventilator. Heather, pregnant herself, was there to support her friend. The woman who had offered to carry Caitlin's baby was now standing by her while Caitlin fought for the baby she had carried herself. Scarlett spent six months in neonatal intensive care. Caitlin visited constantly and while Scarlett was still in the hospital, Heather reached the end of her pregnancy and gave birth to Sloane Hadley. Healthy and full term, about five months after her sister. Now, here's a moment from the hospital that I love. Caitlin was right beside Heather at the delivery, holding her hand and comforting her. Heather actually had to remind Caitlin to go and see her new daughter. Scarlett and Sloane aren't twins. Their family affectionately calls them Twibblings. By the time Novant Health shared their story in April 2026, both girls were thriving, and Scarlett no longer needed supplemental oxygen. So you might think the next story begins with another best friend. It doesn't. This time, the person who stepped forward hadn't shared family holidays or hospital waiting rooms with the woman she wanted to help. Their connection began in a classroom. Ashley Totti and her husband Spencer live in Duck River, Tennessee. Spencer works as a utility lineman. Ashley had been a high school Spanish teacher and later became a middle school principal. They married in 2014 and wanted to raise children of their own. But Ashley suffered five miscarriages. Doctors described their infertility as unexplained. The couple pursued IVF. An embryo transfer failed. Ashley later told a fertility clinic how devastating it was to hope with each pregnancy and face another loss. Ashley continued working in education. Somewhere among the young people she'd taught years earlier was Hannah Dearman, who had sat in Ashley's Spanish class as a high school junior. Hannah had grown up, become a mother of three, and still remembered that teacher. When CBS News later asked Hannah about Ashley, she didn't point to an elaborate favor or some dramatic moment from school. She remembered someone who was loving, kind, and caring. Ashley had made her feel valued as a student. They had stayed in touch after graduation, but years had passed since Hannah sat in that classroom. Hannah learned that her former teacher had been struggling to become a mother. She thought about it for a long time. She had her own three children and understood. From her own experience, how much parenthood meant to her. According to the message later shared with CBS, she had been praying for Ashley and was worried the offer might seem strange. Eventually, she opened Facebook Messenger and wrote to Ashley. Hannah told Ashley she'd been carrying this thought in her heart for years. She didn't know exactly where Ashley was in her journey. Then came the extraordinary offer. If Ashley ever needed a surrogate, Hannah would love to help her become a mother. And she wasn't asking to be paid for carrying the baby. Hannah wanted to help because of the woman she remembered. Ashley told CBS that after everything they'd been through, the offer no longer sounded impossible to consider. But saying yes meant entering another long, carefully planned medical journey. Ashley and Spencer worked with the Tennessee Fertility Institute. When Hannah became their gestational carrier, that means an embryo created through fertility treatment was transferred to Hannah, she carried the pregnancy for Ashley and Spencer. The clinic also worked to involve the intended parents closely through the process. On July 29th, 2024, Hannah gave birth to Sophie Lee Totty. She weighed seven pounds. Ashley and Spencer finally got to bring home the daughter they'd wanted for so long and there's a detail that makes this ending especially lovely. Sophie's middle name, Lee, comes from Hannah Lee. Hannah's part in the family story isn't tucked away in a scrapbook, it's carried in their daughter's name. Hannah later said she loved being a mother to her own children and wanted another woman to experience that love. Ashley has said she wants Sophie to know Hannah and understand the people who helped bring her into the world. A photograph of Ashley, Spencer, Hannah, and their fertility doctors hangs in the family's living room. And here's my question for you, awesome fans. Have you ever had someone from years ago get in touch and remind you that something you said did or mattered more than you knew? Thank you for spending this time with me, and whether the person who helped you was a lifelong friend or someone you hadn't seen in years, I hope you get a chance to tell them what it meant. Sometimes they have no idea.