Campaign Story

We are Anthony and Julie Youngblood, we would love to be an IVF success story! When I met the man of my dreams, it only took 10 months to say “I Do!” After 10 years of battling unexplained secondary infertility, in 2014, we thought our dreams were coming true. Unfortunately, our 10 week pregnancy was found to be ectopic in my right tube, near my ovary. After spending 6 months healing, we jumped head first into “Trying Again”. Months and months of blood work, ultrasounds, fertility drugs and we were still struggling to become pregnant. In 2017, we decided to stop trying and focus on our business. Jump to February 2019, where once again we found out that we were pregnant! Once again, overwhelming joy, we had done it, we were going to beat the odds. Then, unfortunately my Hcg levels began to drop and the pregnancy was lost. At this point in time, my husband is over 40 and I was 37, almost 38. Time was definitely not on our side. We met with our local fertility clinic, more blood work, ultrasounds, genetic testing, semen analysis. The wait list pushed our starting dates to the spring of 2020. The Covid pandemic stopped our planning dead in its tracks. Late fall 2020, I was not feeling the best, realized that I was late, and took a pregnancy test. Positive!!! I immediately made a doctors appointment. Blood was drawn 3 times a week, Hcg and progesterone were spot on, this was our time. Third times a charm, right? Wrong, even with great numbers the ultrasounds showed nothing in my uterus, but in my left tube near my ovary. My doctor recommended removing both tubes and the pregnancy. After a very long day, we decided, along side my doctor, that it was to dangerous to try again naturally. On December 18, 2020. Our third pregnancy was removed, along with both of my tubes.

I had known about an annoying fibroid, for a couple years. My obgyn and my fertility doctor, were both on board to get the fibroid removed. In March of 2021, a grapefruit sided fibroid was removed from my uterus. During this time, our genetic testing came back, my husband and I are both carriers for cystic fibrosis. With both of us carrying the gene for CF, there is a 1 in 4 chance of having a child with that genetic disorder. We went ahead with having genetic testing probes made to test our embryos, once that time comes.

Our dream is nothing short of that, a dream. IVF is very expensive, add on the genetic disorder and it becomes almost unreachable. Watching the last 18, almost 19 years travel by, always hoping and dreaming that one day we might bring home our baby. Seeing our family and friends having children. Having our family and friends asking us “when will you start a family“, knowing that we don’t have an answer to that looming question. Tracking ovulation, taking thousands of ovulation test, fertility drugs, doctor appointments, blood work, 3 pregnancy test, 3 laparoscopic surgery’s, a lot of crying in the shower, happy smiles for family and friends as the announce a “new arrival”, holding the newest baby, not only making the steps to show up at a baby shower, but having the heart and courage to host a number of baby showers. Also being available to our family and friends as they deal with a loss, or struggle with their fertility. Helping others heal and understand that, yes, it sucks! It hurts! The pain never goes away, but one day you will have a baby, you are strong enough to endure the things life brings your way. Hope, even the smallest amount, can bring the greatest joy of your life.

If our story touches you in the smallest way, we hope that you will donate to our “Biggest Dream” yet. Knowing that even the smallest donation can bring the biggest amount of joy. Thank you for taking to time to read our story, obviously, it is hard to express the heartbreak, frustration, joy, sadness, pain, support and love. All of these things have not just effected us, but our family as well. I can only imagine how my sister felt tell me she was pregnant again. Or my cousin telling us before telling anyone else that she is pregnant again, out of respect and love, knowing our struggles.

So even if you don’t donate to us, please donate. Thousands of people are effected by infertility and its causes.