Campaign Story

My name is Cierra Halstead, I am 28 years old and I am a carrier for Duchene Muscular Dystrophy. This is a fairly uncommon disease that is carried through the women and given to the men. My Grandmother was a carrier who lost her son (my uncle) to the disease and my mother is also a carrier. She passed it on to me as a carrier and also to my brother, Brett, who passed away when he was 18. It is a horrible disease that attacks the muscles over time, the last being the heart. The life expectancy is in the early 20’s and the time leading up to it is painful, heart wrenching, exhausting and costly.
My husband and I were married in April of 2020 and have since been trying to expand our family and bring our own happy, healthy and supported bundle of joy into the world.
Early this year, shortly after witnessing my grandmother passing, we found out that I was pregnant. We were ecstatic. I knew I was a carrier so we had to quickly shift our focus on finding out the gender and if our baby was affected. After many doctor visits and some very invasive testing we learned that our precious boy would not be able to live a full, normal and happy life. This news alone was devastating and shortly after receiving this information, we lost him at 18 weeks.
Our entire world has collapsed around us over and over again this year. Early this month, we saw a glimmer of hope when our doctor recommended in-vitro-fertilization to hand pick only the healthiest eggs, so there would be no chance of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy ever devastating our family again. We could finally break this generational curse and create a fresh start for our family.
I am asking you to help us on this exciting and daunting adventure by donating to our fundraiser. We are seeking assistance with the financial burden of In-vitro-fertilization and any support/donations would mean the absolute world to the two of us and our families.Thank you so much for your time and consideration, we are thrilled to be starting this journey together!