Campaign Story

In January 2018, I woke up from surgery surrounded by my loving husband, Vondy, and my beautiful mom. He told me that the doctor ended up having to remove my right ovary due to the cyst rupturing and it was no longer a laparoscopic surgery. She had to remove two cysts and my right ovary was not salvageable. What was supposed to be an outpatient surgery turned into seven days in the hospital because of several complications. I was diagnosed with Endometriosis, a condition that I knew nothing about. I was 28 and dealing with the realization that a vital part of my ability to reproduce was just gone. 

After my surgery, I was put on Lupron for 6 months. A 28-year-old going through menopause! I was dealing with hot flashes and horrible night sweats in hopes of reducing my estrogen levels to minimize the effect of endometriosis. I thank God for Vondy and my family for keeping me in good spirits. No one should have to deal with that, especially at my age. I was then told to stay on birth control and a medication regimen to manage the endometriosis. Fast forward four years and there I was again in a hospital having more cysts and another part of my only remaining ovary removed. I was 32 years old with less than half an ovary left and both fallopian tubes blocked. This in combination with a low egg reserve makes it highly unlikely that we will conceive naturally. IVF is our only hope at this time.

We are fundraising because this would be our 3rd attempt to have a child through IVF. Before my second surgery, I completed my 1st cycle of IVF. Three eggs were collected, and one embryo was cryopreserved. After my second surgery, we did another cycle in an attempt to freeze more embryos, but out of 3, none were viable. After speaking with my fertility specialist, he believes that it is imperative that we use IVF to get as many embryos as possible due to my low egg reserve. Although one embryo made it, in reality it was not enough to beat the odds. We found this out last November when it was implanted but not successful. This crushed us. Yet through some miracle, we continue to lean on each other and remain positive about starting a family. We are committed to reaching our end goal.

Although my husband and I both work full-time, our insurance does not cover the extensive costs associated with my fertility treatment. We want to do everything in our power to create a family. We have already been putting treatment costs on credit cards and splitting them up to try to manage the mountain of debt we already have due to IVF. Your support would alleviate a lot of the stress that is already a part of the IVF journey. We could focus on helping my body do what we’ve been desperately needing. The cost of IVF is enough to make you hesitate, but nothing should get in the way of creating a family and leaving a legacy. I “push through” to avoid worrying my husband and family, but there are days when it weighs heavy on my heart. I began to see a therapist to help me deal with the emotional toll this has taken on me. As a teacher, my students keep me busy, but they also give me purpose and motivation to keep going. One day my children will benefit from my love just as they do.

Your gift would help make our dreams of parenthood become a reality. Although we may need more than one additional round of IVF, this will allow us to reach that goal much sooner. I know what it is like to be raised in a loving home with a family that cares for you and supports your wildest dreams. We want that for our children. We would love the chance to help mold the next generation, instill a love of learning, and satisfy our desire for helping others through parenting. This is what this grant could do for us. I pray that one day we can be a part of the success stories, raising our beautiful children with the help of modern medicine, answered prayers, and you.