Joe & Heidi are doing IVF
Joe & Heidi are doing IVF
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$12,000.00
Fundraiser Goal -
$1,345.00
Funds Raised -
0
Days to go
Heidi Alu is organizing this fundraiser.
Campaign Story
My name is Heidi! Some of you may know me, some may just be passing by and see my story. My husband, Joe, and I are high school sweethearts. 2023 makes 10 years that we have been married. About half of those years we have been trying to become parents. I have been diagnosed with PCOS, hasimoto’s, and just recently endometriosis.
For those that don’t know all 3 of those can effect getting pregnant in varying degrees. None of my diagnoses on their own are severe, but together it can be very hard to get pregnant. We have been seeing a fertility specialist since 2019 on and off.
This past year of 2022 we have done 3 IUIs which have all failed. To say that this journey has been emotionally and physically taxing on us is an understatement. I had to start therapy myself to help deal with the emotional toll this has taken on my life. Financially it also hasn’t been the easiest. Fertility as many people know is not widely covered by insurance as it isn’t seen as essential. My insurance is just like most others and it doesn’t cover fertility at all. All the treatments we have gone through have been out of pocket by myself or with the help of family.
We plan to honor each person who donates with their name on the back of a puzzle piece. We want our child to know they were loved by many before they were even born.
I’m asking that if you find it in your heart to help us become parents please donate to our IVF fund. We plan to move into our first (and hopefully our only) round of IVF in Mid 2023. Thank you for taking the time to read our story. Thank you for considering donating to our family. ❤️❤️❤️
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03-21-2023
Follow-up with the doctor!
I had my follow-up today to discuss the next steps. The nurse practitioner agreed that it was a good decision to go ahead and move on to IVF at this point. All my lab work looks fine to move on but will need to be updated in the new year just so everything is still within one year of the results being normal. We discussed all the things that I could expect going into the IVF cycle and discussed my current concerns about my cycles since my laparoscopic surgery in June of this year. I plan to take some medication to continue to keep my endometriosis at bay while we wait for the Sarasota office to get up and running for transfer. I am still new to the process and even though I\\\\'m a nurse I still don\\\\'t know everything about the IVF journey. Hopefully, my body will comply and we will indeed be able to not only do an egg retrieval but also a transfer, God willing, that my hormones stay within an appropriate range to do so.
The journey continues! -
03-21-2023
Pushing back...
I sent a message to the Sarasota, FL office like the nurse practitioner had told me to. According to the nurse that responded there is no timeline for when they will open for egg retrievals and IVF transfers, but possibly they will open up in May. That is quite a bit later than we were expecting since I was originally told February or March. Right now I just ask for prayers that God helps them get all the equipment that they need to open as soon as they can so we can go ahead and proceed with IVF.
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03-21-2023
Inflation and economic changes.
Due to the financial burden of infertility not being covered Joe and I have been going to CNY Fertility. Currently we go to the satellite office in Monroe, GA. They only do up to IUIs and then if you need IVF you have to travel to NY or CO. Hench, we have been waiting for Sarasota, FL to open up. Joe and I both have family down in Florida, my brother being the closetest in Lakeland, FL.
Our office CNY is about a 1/4th of the price of the national average when it comes to IVF costs. They recently sent out a message that the cost of IVF with them will unfortunately be going up. They are offering a one time up front paying cost at the current rate. Joe and I both know IVF is where we are going so we do plan to go ahead and pay the cost. Between what we have gotten so far and my FSA we have enough to pay for that right now. More costs will be incurred when it is time to actually start our cycle, but for now we are one step closer to out future baby.
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03-21-2023
Summer!
Summer can't get here fast enough. CNY our fertility clinic officially put up that the Sarasota office will open up in summer. No specific month just yet, but we are very close to starting our journey. With things getting closer we still have alot to meet our goal!
| Name | Donation | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Lyneida Lopez-Estrella | $25.00 | November 12, 2022 |
| Salina Wilburn | $20.00 | November 04, 2022 |
| Carmen Kittel | $100.00 | November 04, 2022 |
| Karen Brigham | $100.00 | November 03, 2022 |
| Elizabeth Bernier | $100.00 | November 02, 2022 |
| Cheryl Porter Hopkins | $1,000.00 | November 02, 2022 |
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Heidi Alu is organizing this fundraiser.