South Florida couple welcome twin boys after wife battles endometriosis

Man initially believed accident that left him paralyzed would affect fertility

CORAL GABLES, Fla. – A South Florida couple are counting their blessings this holiday season more than a decade after a tragic accident altered their lives.

Thanks to the marvels of modern medicine, they're celebrating something they almost lost hope of ever receiving -- the gift of life.

In November 2008, newlyweds Alfredo and Michelle Iglesias were just two days into their honeymoon in Mexico when tragedy struck during a dip in the ocean.

"I was about thigh deep and, instead of walking in, I decided to dive in and just snapped my neck," Alfredo Iglesias said. "I remember I thought I was going to die."

Alfredo Iglesias was left paralyzed from the neck down and facing an uncertain future, including how his condition might affect their dream of having a family.

"Initially we thought I was going to be the one with the fertility problems due to my injury," he said. 

But when the couple started working with Dr. Armando Hernandez Rey, a fertility specialist in Coral Gables, they learned Michelle Iglesias' fertility was compromised by endometriosis.

"Which was having a very significant effect on her ovarian function, her reserve as we call it in the world of infertility," Hernandez Rey said. "A lot of women are unaware of the impact endometriosis can have on fertility. It acts as a silent killer."

After several rounds of fertility treatments and two miscarriages, they'd almost given up hope.

"Emotionally and physically, it takes a toll on your mind and your body, along with everything else," Michelle Iglesias said. 

After a fourth round of in vitro fertilization, Michelle Iglesias became pregnant with twin boys earlier this year. 

"Overcoming such amazing and incredible odds means the world to me," she said. 

The couple welcomed their sons, Austin and Mason, on Nov. 9.

"Becoming a father is quite scary, never mind the injury," Alfredo Iglesias said.

"It seems so unreal," Michelle Iglesias said. "I'm so excited and so grateful."