They approached their relationship with caution and exercised wisdom as a couple with every important decision, but Robert and Taylor Ice have learned that life is regularly full of surprises you can’t always plan for.
“We both met when we were working at Burger King in Poplar Bluff in 2016,” Taylor commented. “I heard that he was interested in me; but I initially didn’t like the idea of dating a coworker.”
Subtle flirtation and fetching glances soon turned into conversation, and both Taylor and Robert found themselves in a romance that quickly became serious — but not without an ounce or two of caution. Both Robert and Taylor were focused on their individual careers, with Robert completing his training to go on and become a deputy for the Butler County Sheriff’s Department and Taylor finishing her undergraduate degree in forensic psychology, but they also realized they wanted to be together forever.
“We moved in together in 2017 and we were engaged by 2019,” Taylor recalled. “We got married in 2021.”
Taylor explained that she and her new husband both wanted a family, but they wanted the timing to be right. As Taylor was completing her final year of school, they both decided it was time to try.
“We had a few failed attempts, but we weren’t too discouraged,” Taylor explained. “My doctor put me on a medication that is designed to help regulate my ovulation cycle to improve the chances of getting pregnant.”
Soon afterwards, Taylor received the news she had been hoping for.
“The whole time I was pregnant, there weren’t really any problems,” Taylor noted. “Everything seemed pretty normal.”
On Nov. 6, 2023, their daughter Wrenley Ice was born in Poplar Bluff. The young couple were overjoyed; but they soon learned that their precious new daughter would be facing an uphill battle in the future. Wrenley was diagnosed with haploinsufficiency of PRR12. She was born without eyeballs or optic nerves.
According to Taylor, Wrenley is only one of 25 recorded cases of this kind.
“They told us that if we had done genetic testing as recently as 5 years ago, they still wouldn’t have known that this was going to happen,” Taylor explained. “There’s so much that isn’t known about it or what Wrenley will face in the future.”
Taylor further explained that Wrenley also has an adrenal deficiency and doesn’t produce cortisol, which could possibly affect puberty and future development.
“She has to have hydrocortisone injections three times every day,” Taylor explained. “It can be severe if she doesn’t get the injections.”
Wrenley very recently had surgery to open her eyelids and to install a conformer, which Taylor described as a shell used to expand the eye sockets for future prosthetics.
“Prior to her surgery, Wrenley needed to have a triple dose of her injections in order to handle the stress of the procedure,” Taylor said. “It’s all part of the process and we’re just trying to prepare for the future.”
Although the waters they navigate are uncharted and can’t be planned for, Taylor explained that they’re optimistic for the future.
“We’re following the medical advice that we get, and I’m very satisfied with the level of care that we’re getting from both Barnes and the Children’s Hospital in St. Louis,” Taylor remarked. “Even though Wrenley is small, she’s ahead of other infants, developmentally speaking.
“She recently discovered her hands, and she’s even started to grasp for things like her bottle. Hearing that she’s on track and even somewhat ahead developmentally is really exciting and encouraging. We anticipate good things for the future.”