Campaign Story

About the Couple: male, Daniel, 39, and female, Gleny, 40, hoping for our miracle baby after 14 failed natural cycles and three failed iui cycles. We used our savings for the IUI procedures and are now looking to try IVF as our only option to achieve our family goal. Our health insurance does not cover IUI or IVF. This journey has been an emotional rollercoaster, yet we are up for the challenge as we know it will all be worth it the day we meet our miracle baby. We recently received the preliminary cost for ivf in the clinic we have been working with for iui(intrauterine insemination). We are in the process of shopping around for other more economical options, and applying for grants, but most grants pick only two people per year. Here is to hope that we at least raise the minimum deposit to begin the process.

Note from Gleny:

I had one child in 2006 at just 21 years old and 4 days after graduating with an associate degree from The Art Institute of NYC. I became widowed in 2016. I met Daniel after about 5 years of being single. I had a salpingectomy (removal of my left fallopian tube) in 2017 due to torsion. At 33, I returned to college, finished my bachelor’s degree in art, and minored in business. Time flew, the COVID shutdown happened, and dating wasn’t in my cards. So, I gave up on that part of my life, wanting to grow career-wise without sacrificing my motherly duties. After all, the best God-given job I have ever had the blessing to have is motherhood.

I always wanted more children but wanted to wait for the right time and with the right person. Then came Daniel to my life. We met online, and after one date at the MoMA (Museum of Modern Art in NYC), I knew he was the one. I bore all my truths to him, and he didn’t run away. Credit score, student loans, cat mom, nothing deterred him from continuing to date me, the most organic connection. Now, here we are; I never knew we would be in this position today of struggling to conceive our own child. In November of 2023, I was diagnosed with a submucosal fibroid that would prevent me from getting pregnant, or if I got pregnant, I would miscarry. I had the fibroid removed on December 15th that year. Now I’m 40, with one healthy fallopian tube, great ovarian reserve for my age, and normal hormone bloodwork results but no luck for 17 cycles. My fertility doctor suggests I have unexplained infertility. I tried a cycle with Clomid and Ovidrel and two cycles with Letrozole and Ovidrel, all 3 for iui procedures, and they were not successful. We are here to ask for a donation from anyone who desires to help us achieve our dream of becoming parents.

A note from Daniel:

In regards to my fertility health, I was diagnosed with poor morphology of 1%. The doctor believes that regardless of our combined fertility health, we should have been able to conceive by now, so we are diagnosed with unexplained infertility.

For many years, I have struggled with deeply personal challenges I never imagined I would overcome. By the grace of something greater than myself, I was proven wrong. Some of the adversity faced included depression, social phobias, juvenile diabetes, and blindness. I didn’t believe life had much left in store for me, but one day, things changed. For one reason or another, I was given another chance and a new perspective on life, and I came to believe that I could lead a self-determined, happy, and fulfilling life.

In my early years in recovery, one of the blessings I experienced was the birth of my nieces and nephews. Seeing these little ones grow and learn was a bright beacon of hope, and it was a privilege to be a part of it. They reawakened a notion that I thought I had long since given up, that life has new wonders to be seen and new potential to be explored, and that every day there were new and beautiful surprises for me if I remained present if I remained curious and seeking as these children were. Using the love my own family gave me and the hard-fought wisdom my troubled years provided, I found meaning and purpose and began to dream further about my potential to find my place in the world.

Eventually, I found my vocation as a Peer Counselor and have the honor of sharing my experience, strength, and hope to guide others in their journey of recovery and self-improvement. Life continued to grow more and more. My nieces and nephews grew to be strong and intelligent children. My career at a charitable organization freed me from the limitations of surviving on monthly disability checks. My organization gives me excellent health insurance, but the insurance does not cover IVF, which is what I need to pursue my greatest dream to fulfill the legacy of a family of my own.

After a year-long stretch of dating, I was ready to give up. The stars were not aligned for me, as prospective relationships seemed to be missing vital pieces of a puzzle that would become a masterpiece. Just as I was about to give up on romance, go back to the drawing board, and reformulate the dream, Gleny came into my life.

Gleny impressed me from the very beginning. She is strong, independent, and determined to pursue her dreams, and she expressed it in ways that all the previous dates combined could not equate to. She also loves animals and is an artist as well. Art was one of the greatest gifts that came back to me in recovery and one of the most valuable talents and tools that helped me express myself in good times and bad. People told me over the years that two artists could not make a great couple, but boy, were they wrong! Gleny also experienced and understood loss, as she was a widow, and I had lost someone only a couple of years before.

Gleny and I, both as artists, have brought out the creative flare in each other- bouncing ideas, drafting concepts, and even a few collaborative works of art together. Our dreams drew many parallels, but one dream was a perfect match: for our love to help us with a new collaborative work of art and the hopes of a family of our own.