Campaign Story

My name is Leticia and I have unexplained infertility. My husband and I have 2 kids 9 and 11). They are my step kids but in my heart that doesn’t matter. We have a wonderful relationship with their mother, step father and other siblings but we hope to add another sibling on our side too. Unexplained infertility is really hard because no one can explain why I am having a problem with fertility. I’ve had everything checked and there seems to be no problem but I have done an egg donation and only one of my 26 eggs turned into an embryo that even then didn’t produce a pregnancy.

We have tried other heartbreaking routes to add to our family including foster care to adoption. In California, foster parents are the last on the totem pole to possibly adopt the child or baby in their care no matter how long they have been in our care. In 2021 we had three foster placements. 1 toddler who was so energetic and fun but wasn’t meant to stay more the a couple weeks. Two were infants that came home from the hospital with us. 1 was with us for six weeks and one was with us for almost 7 months. I can’t get into what led them into foster care or why they are no longer in our home but we did fully intend on adoption of these two beautiful babies if that were to be their plan. I guess it wasn’t. Foster care devastated us and our extended family. After realizing we were not going to be able to adopt our in six month old, We knew we had to stop. It took a toll on all of us and we realized our kids couldn’t handle the unknown and getting attached over and over again to kids who potential he could leave our home.

Before foster care I heard of embryo adoption but had already started the process with our foster agency. They told us we had to choose fostering to adopt or trying other routes to start a family so we didn’t try while getting licensed or having foster children in our home.

Now we are ready to try, but foster care was a pretty big financial burden because I had to stay home and couldn’t work. Not even a nanny job or a job at a daycare where I could also bring our foster child to. Embryo adoption can get pretty pricey but in our hearts we know that it is how we will add to our family. We do not need a child that is biologically related to us. I know that my greatest blessing is being a mom to our older kids and getting to raise a child from infancy. I believe I was put on this earth to be a mom and many around us believe the same. Please help us with whatever you can. Even five dollars would mean the world to us. We will be able to provide so much love and life for an embryo who may not have gotten a chance at life another way. We are so thankful to all the families who donate their embryos and thankful to everyone who helps us monetarily and spiritually.