INDIANAPOLIS – IndyCar driver Jay Howard will not only race to win the Indy 500 trophy Sunday, but to also raise awareness about infertility.
Jay will race with Midwest Fertility written on his car this weekend to share his story of overcoming infertility after years of trying to have a child with his wife Courtney.
The couple said they always dreamt of having a big family, but infertility presented many challenges.
“Seeing her face, when you do the pregnancy test and you are not pregnant - and you think, ‘oh man, we got to do this again,’” said Jay.
Five years later, Hudson joined the family with the help of Midwest Fertility and a surrogate mother.
“That is when you know our first try with what I call our ‘angel oven,’ we were able to get pregnant five years later,” said Courtney. “By the grace of God and Jay's support and love and our family, you know, I was able to get out of bed and keeping fighting the good fight.”
Jay said he will never forget the moment he learned he would become a father.
“She says ‘um you are going to be a dad and I was like ‘oh my god, this is amazing,’” he said.
This weekend, Jay will participate in his first Indy 500 since Hudson was born and will wear a symbol that represents his family – a helmet with his son’s and wife’s fingerprints along with his dog’s pawprint.
You can watch the full interview with Jay and Courtney Howard in the video player.
