Angie and Michael were married on January 7th, 2006 in Berea, Ohio. Since then, they've primarily lived in the Pittsburgh area. In March of 2008, Michael was accepted to the Master of Fine Arts program at Pennsylvania State University in State College, PA.  Shortly after this news, they discovered they were going to have a child. Though not planned, the news was welcome and they began preparing for their new arrival, scheduled to be delivered in early November.

 

Michael began school the end of August and everything was going well. Angie was telecommuting to work and Michael's classes were going well. But on the night of September 3rd, Angie's water broke, two months early. She was rushed to Geisinger Medical Center and two days later gave birth to Maxwell George Benson, who weighed in at 4lbs, 11 oz. He was born septic with an e. coli gram rod negative infection and was not expected to live his first night. His inner strength shone that night, and he has continued to grow and thrive since then.  

 

Maxwell spent 30 days in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and came home on October 5th. Several weeks later, Michael discovered a lump on his testicle during a routine self examination. He was diagnosed with testicular cancer and underwent an orchiectomy later that week. He underwent a round of chemotherapy and is currently under surveillance due to the high rate of recurrence.

 

In July 2009, Angie's job was eliminated due to corporate cut backs. While she job hunts, she's loving her time as a stay at home mom to Max!

 

Maxwell and his family celebrated his first birthday this September, marking the anniversary of his troubled start in the world.  He has turned lemons into lemonade and continues to amaze the health care professionals who monitor his development.