Priscilla Chan and Mark Zuckerberg Went through 3 Miscarriages — inside Their Journey
Media magnate Mark Zuckerberg and his wife, Priscilla Chan, are parents to two exceptional children. But their journey to parenthood did not come easy.
Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan focus on making the world a better place after living through their stormy journey to parenthood. The couple, who has welcomed two children since their marriage, has been open about the tumultuous path.
Zuckerberg and his wife tied the knot in May 2012, but it took the lovebirds three years to finally become parents. Those years were plagued with infertility, doubts, and multiple miscarriages, which threatened to tear their marriage apart.
Mark Zuckerberg delivers the keynote address at Facebook's F8 Developer Conference on April 18, 2017 at McEnery Convention Center in San Jose, California | Photo: Getty Images
The lovebirds overcame the crises, and today, are confident to use their story to inspire other couples facing similar struggles.
Zuckerberg and Chan’s love story began with their first meeting in the bathroom queue during the tech executive’s fraternity party at Harvard University.
MARK ZUCKERBERG ON THEIR STRUGGLE WITH INFERTILITY
Priscilla Chan and Mark Zuckerberg became first-time parents in 2015. The internet mogul first disclosed their difficult battle with infertility while they were expecting their first child.
The 37-year-old detailed their rough road in a Facebook post shared months before the baby arrived. The lengthy message served as the official announcement of the baby’s arrival, which he noted would begin a new chapter in their lives.
THE COUPLE LIVED THROUGH MULTIPLE MISCARRIAGES
Going further, the tech mogul detailed their experience with infertility, how he and Priscilla Chan tried several means of conceiving for years, and how they lived through three miscarriages.
Zuckerberg also dwelt on the stigma surrounding couples who experience miscarriages and how it left the victims feeling defective. He encouraged people with such encounters to speak up rather than struggle alone, saying:
“In Today’s open and connected world, discussing these issues doesn’t distance us. It brings us together. It creates understanding and tolerance, and it gives us hope.”
Priscilla Chan after a Bloomberg Technology television interview in San Francisco, California, U.S., on Thursday, Jan. 24, 2019 | Photo: Getty Images
The entrepreneur went on to disclose how discussing their infertility struggles with others helped them realize they weren’t alone. It returned hope to their lives once again.
HOW THE PAIR OVERCAME THE DARK MOMENTS
Months after Zuckerberg shared their experience on social media, Priscilla Chan reflected on how important it was to them for the world to know their story. She concluded that it was their means of letting other people traveling through the same dark road realize they were not alone.
FINALLY EMBRACING PARENTHOOD
In December 2015, the couple welcomed their first child, Maxima Chan Zuckerberg. Two years later, the lovebirds gave birth to their second daughter, August Chan Zuckerberg, born in August 2017.
Guests at Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan’s wedding in May 2012 initially thought they were attending Chan’s graduation ceremony from med school.
Aside from Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan’s two children, the duo has an adopted bulldog named Beast, completing the perfect family of five.
CHAN AND ZUCKERBERG’S JOURNEY AS PARENTS
Having faced difficulty bearing children, parenthood meant something different for Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan. Welcoming two children after years of struggle imparted on the couple in unique ways.
For Chan, it changed her remarkably, filling her with more love than she ever imagined possible. Motherhood also drove Priscilla Chan to work harder and invest to ensure the best future for her kids.
The Facebook CEO’s transformation since embracing parenthood was more liberating. The media magnate once went candid about how getting the gift of children helped him embrace religion in a new light.
He told interviewers that the struggles to parenthood, finally becoming a dad, and challenges he’s faced since establishing his company made him grow more religious. Through the years, the icon has strived to uphold his faith.
The changes in their lives have also reflected in their parenting methods. During a 2019 interview, Zuckerberg admitted that despite their wealth and affluence, they were wary of giving their kids everything they wanted.
They also assign chores to each of the girls despite having numerous employees at their disposal. The approach, they believed, would enable them not to raise spoiled kids.
Priscilla Chan and Mark Zuckerberg attend the 2020 Breakthrough Prize Ceremony at NASA Ames Research Center on November 03, 2019 in Mountain View, California. | Photo: Getty Images
MARK ZUCKERBERG AND PRISCILLA CHAN’S LOVE STORY
Zuckerberg and Chan’s love story began with their first meeting in the bathroom queue during the tech executive’s fraternity party at Harvard University. While the would-be billionaire was a sophomore, Chan was a freshman.
They kicked off their relationship shortly after their meeting in 2003. In 2010, Chan, who was studying to become a doctor, moved into Zuckerberg’s rented apartment in Palo Alto.
Two years after moving in together, the couple threw a surprise wedding ceremony. Guests at Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan’s wedding in May 2012 initially thought they were attending Chan’s graduation ceremony from med school.
However, they got the cutest surprise when they realized it was the couple’s official wedding. Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan began their lives together, nurtured a family even through their dark years, and eventually welcomed new additions. They achieved all these while pursuing their respective careers and building their tech empire.