Campaign Story

Hi, we are Sam and Amber Mahalovich! Thank you so much for reading this long story. We’re raising funds to help us potentially start a family through IVF.

Sam and I got married in 2022 but our fertility journey started on Thanksgiving 2020. The night of Thanksgiving I was taken to the emergency room in extreme agonizing pain. I was scared and alone and Sam was not allowed to be with me due to hospital rules at the time. I was told I had ovarian torsion and needed emergency surgery. Ovarian torsion if you do not know what that is, is a medical emergency where the ovary twists on its supporting structures, cutting off blood supply. As I waited for hours to be taken away to have surgery someone came in and told me they could not get a hold of the on call surgeon. As shift change came around the surgeon finally showed up and said since I could move one leg I was fine and laughed at me and left. I was sent home unable to even stand up straight up. I followed up with my doctor and she said there was nothing in my chart (ER had erased my records) and said it was probably just a cyst that popped. I went on for months in extreme pain and had to quit my job. After months my OBGYN finally offered to do exploratory surgery. I had surgery in March 2021. I did in fact have ovarian torsion but an infection had start and my pelvis was filled with bloody fluid, my uterus attached itself to my abdominal wall due to the amount of scar tissue acting as glue and had started affecting my other fallopian tube. This all resulted in me losing the fallopian tube.
Fast forward to 2022 we got married and decided to try to grow our family. We had been told we should be able to get pregnant on our own with one remaining fallopian tube. After a year of trying and having tests done to confirm the remaining tube was open we went to a fertility specialist. We were told at the first appointment that I needed to have my remaining tube removed before we could do IVF and that IVF is our only option.
We started out in 2025 with having my remaining tube removed. During the surgery this surgeon had told Sam that my fallopian tube was completely blocked and there was no salvaging it when not even 6 months before I had a test done saying it was open. This journey has been an emotional roller coaster to say the least but we are ready for this journey. We have learned a lot about IVF and think this is the best option for us. We have been very hesitant in asking for financial help but realize that since this is our only option, it is going to be very costly upfront as it is 100% out of pocket. Our fertility center also requires a down payment before being able to start treatment. Any help and prayers would be greatly appreciated as we start this journey.

Please feel free to share our story with those in your life who may have tubal factor infertility or who are facing the challenge of IVF treatment.