Campaign Story

Hello, my name is Paulo Braga, and I am writing to share our family’s story — one shaped by service, sacrifice, love, and a deep desire to grow our family.
Thirteen years ago, while serving on active duty in the United States Army, my former wife and I welcomed our son, Lucca, into the world. During that period of my life, military service required frequent deployments and long absences, placing significant strain on our marriage. Growing our family further was not feasible at that time, and after extensive counseling and difficult discussions, we made the decision that I would undergo a vasectomy in an effort to preserve the marriage and maintain stability for our family. Despite that sacrifice, the marriage ultimately ended. In a very real sense, I lost two things at once — my marriage, and what I believed was my ability to have children in the future.
Four years later, I met my wife, Yuli Andrea. From the very beginning of our relationship, I was transparent with her about my situation and my belief that I could not have more children. She accepted this reality with grace and understanding, and together we built a relationship rooted in trust, patience, and unconditional support. Over six years into our marriage, our lives look very different. Our relationship has grown stronger, our stability has increased, and our desire to expand our family has grown alongside it. Andrea has always dreamed of becoming a mother, and I dream of giving my son the experience of growing up with a brother or sister. With renewed hope, we sought medical guidance to determine whether parenthood was still possible for us.
After consulting with an urologist, we learned that our most viable path forward was in vitro fertilization (IVF). While this option gave us hope, it also came with an overwhelming financial burden. As an active-duty service member on a fixed income, I receive healthcare benefits, but fertility treatments such as IVF are not fully covered by the military. After careful consideration and significant financial sacrifice, we moved forward with our first IVF cycle and embryo transfer, hopeful that this would finally allow us to grow our family. Unfortunately, the transfer did not go as planned after a few days. The emotional impact of that loss was profound — not only because of the outcome, but because of the investment of hope, effort, and resources it required.
As the year comes to a close — a season traditionally centered on family, reflection, and togetherness — our family has felt the weight of this journey more deeply than ever. The emotional and financial demands of fertility treatment have required us to change plans we once looked forward to, including spending time with extended family during the holidays. While these sacrifices have been difficult, they reflect how committed we are to pursuing the opportunity to build a family of our own and create the traditions we hope to share one day.
Our physician remains optimistic and has encouraged us not to give up. Medically, we have reason to believe that another attempt could be successful. However, pursuing another IVF cycle requires paying the full cost upfront once again — a cost that is currently beyond our means.
With humility and hope, I am sharing our story in the hope of receiving support toward another opportunity to try. We are committed to this journey and to doing everything responsibly and thoughtfully to maximize our chances, but we cannot do it alone.
Andrea longs to become a mother for the first time, and I long to expand our family and give my son the opportunity to grow up with a sibling. Your support would not only help fund a medical procedure — it would help give our family another chance at a future we have waited and sacrificed so much for.

Thank you for taking the time to read our story and for offering hope to families like ours.

With gratitude and hope