Campaign Story

Hi, I’m Alicia Raile, and I’m 29 years old—but my uterus acts like it’s pushing retirement.

From a young age, I dreamed of building a loving, warm, slightly chaotic (but in a cute way) family. Life didn’t exactly hand me the easiest starter pack—I was born to a teenage mom, survived a pretty traumatic childhood, and came out the other side with a whole lot of strength, a dark sense of humor, and some serious therapy bills. Through it all, my sisters were my ride-or-dies and proof that love could exist, even in the toughest places.

In 2016, I had my daughter—my little miracle, my sassier, shorter twin, and the absolute best part of me. For the longest time, I wasn’t convinced that “soulmates” were a real thing (unless you count tacos), but then COVID happened, and BAM—plot twist—I met my husband, Trent. He saw me for me—all the broken pieces, the sarcasm, the snacks hidden in my nightstand—and loved me anyway. We blended our families like a Pinterest board gone right. His daughter, my daughter—they became our world. But we still had one dream left… a little mix of the two of us, created out of love (and maybe a little science).

We started trying for a baby in 2021, despite my lovely hormonal gremlin known as PCOS. Thirteen months later—after enough ovulation tests to wallpaper a small room—we finally got a positive. I was thrilled. And then, heartbreak: it was ectopic. We fought through weeks of treatment, hospital visits, and ultimately said goodbye to a baby we never got to hold. It was devastating. But we kept going.

In 2023, we tried again. Nothing. Negative test after negative test. I was about ready to body slam a pregnancy test in aisle five at Target. Then—boom—another positive. But before we could even breathe, we were hit with another ectopic pregnancy, this time resulting in emergency surgery and the loss of my left fallopian tube. Grief, pain, and silence became the background music to our lives for a while.

Now it’s 2024. We’ve had our fair share of plot twists—loss, financial stress, and those “why is this happening to us?” moments. But through it all, we’ve held onto hope. IVF is now our only shot at having a baby together. But with zero insurance coverage and medical bills that look more like student loan debt, we need help.

That’s why we’re here, putting our story out there with as much courage as we can muster (and a little caffeine). If you can donate, share, or even just send a good vibe or two into the universe for us, we’d be forever grateful. Every little bit gets us closer to our dream—a baby with my attitude and Trent’s patience (because let’s be honest, someone’s gotta balance this out).

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts, and probably our dog’s heart too, because she’s 100% ready for a human sibling.

With love, hope, and snark,
Alicia & Trent Raile