Campaign Story

Hi This is Sonia and this is Joe. We have been married for over four years. We are in the process of trying for a baby, and in the course of talking to fertility experts, they have determined that IVF is our best chance. Unfortunately, treatment is expensive and not covered by
insurance, so we are asking for assistance in making our dream of becoming parents come true.

I was born in Dhaka, Bangladesh. My dad was a high school English teacher and my mom is a homemaker. I am an English instructor in Athens, Georgia and completed my PhD from the University of Georgia. I now call Georgia my home. Growing up in Bangladesh with four other siblings, I learned that family is the most important thing in life. My parents did everything they could for the family and love was the center of that family bond. When I become a mom, I will pass on the same family values to my child. Also, we have pets in the family that we love as family members.

I was born in Georgia and grew up in the southern part of Illinois. My mom was a family physician and my dad is a lawyer and I have a younger brother and sister. We had a very close
extended family and my grandmother would watch all of us kids while my parents were at work. When I was young we moved out to the country and had a small menagerie of llamas, alpacas, chickens, dogs and cats. I developed a real love for animals with all of these furry friends. Making art has been a part of my life from a very early age. My parents started me in art classes when I was 6 and I’ve been creating artwork ever since. Now, I work as a medical illustrator at the University of Georgia’s College of Veterinary Medicine where I create images and animations to help people learn about science. Sometimes I even put Sonia in some of my medical illustrations. Sonia and I met on campus as our departments were across the street from each other. We quickly bonded over our love of animals, our interest in each other’s culture and a shared sense of humor. We particularly loved watching old Three Stooges episodes and I learned a lot about Bengali and Hindi music and soap operas. We have 3 indoor cats Tita, Nimbu and Shadu and an outdoor cat named Bearcat. They are all our furbabies.

Finding Joe as my life partner was a blessing. After we got married in July 2018, we could not try for a baby since I had to go back to my home for home
residency requirement as I accepted a Fulbright grant in 2011. I worked as an assistant professor in a university in Bangladesh while maintaining a distance relationship.
When I moved back to the US in 2019 and started to try for a baby, the hurdles were too much
for us. I have had five miscarriages.

When I first got pregnant, I was hopeful, not knowing what was going to happen. I called the
baby -Noah but I was heartbroken after 6 weeks as I miscarried the baby. I went to the gyno
and cried when they found no baby in my womb through an ultrasound. The second one was the
worst. This time I took all precautions and was getting ready to be a mother. When I was 8
weeks and two days’ pregnant, Joe and I went to my gynecologist for an ultrasound. I was nervous with happiness. The nurse assured me of hope and how I would be relieved seeing the baby. In a minute, her whole demeanor changed and she went to call the doctor.
This was one of the shocking moments of my life and I could not believe what the doctor was saying. For a
moment I thought I was in a nightmare. My baby was grown for 8 weeks but it didn’t have a heartbeat.

We ran all the tests and Sonia miscarried three more times. Finally, we decided to go see a specialist. We found that we have to go for fertility treatment. To complete the journey, we will need your support.

Family is very important to both Sonia and I, and we hope that you can help us fulfill our dream
of having a family of our own. A child to love, support, teach and help grow.