Campaign Story

My name is Kathryn and my journey started when I was 11 years old. I lost my right ovary and Fallopian tube from an ovarian torsion. The operating doctor explained it wouldn’t impact my fertility, if only that were to be true! Fast forward 14 years and I found myself preparing for surgery for an ovarian tumor removal on my left ovary. This operating doctor didn’t know if he would be able to save any ovarian tissue to preserve my fertility. The surgery was performed with an incision from hip to hip. The doctor told me the surgery was a success.

It wasn’t but a month or so later I knew I wasn’t feeling well, I went to my OBGYN and she took blood work which determined my AMH of .01 and my chances of natural pregnancy were less than 1%. They diagnosed me with premature ovarian insufficiency. It was March of 2020 when I found this out, I had no guidance, I was angry I couldn’t understand. How could that operating doctor tell me everything was a success, when it wasn’t?

I spent the next couple years working towards a healthier version of myself, I started hormone replacement therapy and found myself in a better state of mind. My husband and I felt ready to take on the next battle of donor Egg IVF. We found out the cost and knew we had a bigger battle to endure than we thought.

I am reaching out to you to help me. It isn’t easy to ask for help, although I know that hearing other people’s stories have inspired me and I hope that my story and determination inspires you to help me create my dream family. I thank each one of you willing to help me in this emotional journey.