Campaign Story

My name is Tanja, and I am a kindergarten teacher. I love helping and interacting with others. I met my husband LaJohn in 2013. We were married in 2019. We enjoy spending quality time with family and friends and traveling. We recently celebrated our third wedding anniversary. It has always been our dream to become parents and share our love with a child of our own. We began trying to grow our family about 2 years ago but were not successful. During my annual exam, I informed my OBGYN that nothing was happening. She then referred me to an infertility doctor. I’ve struggled with fibroids since my thirties and once again my ultrasound revealed that I had a large fibroid that was possibly in the cavity area and would need to be removed. My doctor also recommended IVF. I completed the surgery and began the IVF process. In the midst of our treatment, I learned that my mom’s breast cancer had returned, and she was now stage 4. We had to put IVF on hold. My mom was placed on hospice, and I went on FMLA to be home to care for her and to be by her side. About a month into this nightmare, my husband and I received news that my mother-in-law was diagnosed with breast cancer as well. A dark cloud just seemed to hover over our lives. We still tried to trust God and remain hopeful. Unfortunately, on August 6, 2021 , my mom passed away and went home to be with the Lord. She always told me I would make a great mom someday. So, we decided to begin our IVF journey once again. We were so excited! However, in September 2021 we got the terrible news that our retrieved eggs did not make it and we had a failed IVF cycle. I also learned that yet again I had a new fibroid. I would need to do surgery again, start a new IVF cycle and/or try embryo adoption. Unfortunately, we can’t afford to pay for the surgery, medications or IVF again. We’ve exhausted our savings and credit cards to try to achieve a successful pregnancy. We’re praying that through the Gift of Parenthood that we can be funded and our dreams could be made into a reality. We want to share our love and experiences with a bundle of joy that was created just for us. We are thankful for what this organization is doing for so many individuals that are experiencing difficulties with conceiving. We pray that our story touches you in some way and that God would see fit for LaJohn and I to become first-time parents. Any amount would be a blessing towards our journey.