Baby Collins Fund

Dear Family and Friends,
Luke and I wanted to share with you some things that are happening in our lives. As some of you know, and others may be shocked to learn, we have been battling infertility for a few years. This is such a personal and difficult struggle, and it has been incredibly hard for us to share this with others. For me especially, because I have a hard time being vulnerable. I just don't like to bother people with my problems. However, I can definitely say that I have grown in this area of my life as a direct result of our battle with infertility. Hence, our decision to share this with you. So, before we move forward any further in our journey we wanted to catch everyone up on where we've been, where we are, and where we're going.
It has been about two and a half years since we decided to talk to our doctor about our inability to conceive. There didn't seem to be any issues with me, so she suggested that we start by having Luke tested to see if everything was ok with him. The reason for that being that testing Luke would be less invasive and less costly than testing me. After some testing and consultation, we were diagnosed with male factor infertility. Luke was found to have low testosterone, which was affecting his sperm count and mobility, making it difficult for us to conceive naturally. While this was hard news to take, we were glad to finally have some definite answers.
Going in we had a feeling this might be what the doctors would find, because Luke had an accident when he was a young teenager. As a result of that accident, he had to have a testicle removed. Although the tests revealed that his body was trying to correct this issue, it just didn't have what it needed to do that on its own. Finding this out was a blessing, but also a struggle, because Luke needs to be taking a testosterone supplement to help him feel better and his body function correctly. The down side of that is if he does get this testosterone supplement, it will completely wipe out our chances of having a baby. Knowing that, we decided to explore our best options for achieving pregnancy so that Luke could then be treated for his testosterone deficiency.
We were referred by Luke's doctor to a fertility clinic just over a year ago. His recommendation was for us to talk to a fertility specialist about pursuing IUI--intrauterine insemination. This is a lower cost procedure that is less involved, and less invasive, than IVF [which most people think of first when we tell them about having a procedure to help us conceive]. Our insurance does not over ANY of these appointments, medicines, or procedures, so IUI was a much more feasible option for us to try.
IUI requires me to be on one fertility medicine prior to the procedure. Then, when the time is right, we have a very simple procedure that is done at our doctor's office. I am awake for the procedure, it is not painful, and it literally only takes a few minutes after Luke's sample is prepped.
Our first IUI was last summer. Unfortunately Luke's sample was VERY low that day--lower than what they said would be acceptable to go forward with IUI. When they told us the numbers (after the procedure was complete) we were really disheartened. We assumed the sample had been good that day, because they had used it. So to find out after the fact that it was very low was extremely hard for us. We had spent a lot of money and had been through a lot emotionally to have even lower chances of conceiving with such a low sample.
My doctor called me a couple of days later to check in with me, and I was very transparent about how we felt. I told her had we known how low that sample was, we would have opted to try again another time. Thankfully, she acknowledged my disappointment and told me that if we did not achieve a pregnancy with that round, she would give us a credit and we could try again whenever we were ready. We would still have to pay for one medicine and some testing on me prior to another procedure, but that would be a much smaller amount compared to paying for another IUI round completely. We were completely blown away by our doctors's generosity and understanding.
Thank goodness I was very transparent with my doctor that day, because our first IUI was unsuccessful. After that heart breaking experience, we decided that we would try IUI again when our schedules and savings permitted it.
So almost a year later, to the day, we decided to give IUI another shot. I went to the doctor in August and got started with my testing to be sure this would be an acceptable month for a procedure. My doctor asked why I had not been back in a year, and I told her partly because of scheduling and partly because of the costs involved. We had a great conversation, and I got good news that day--we were good to go forward with another IUI that month.
We were very hopeful with our second IUI, because Luke's numbers were twice as high as they had been the year before--it was his best count to date!! We were really encouraged by how things looked and decided to move forward with the procedure. Another huge blessing was that our doctor did not charge us anything for that second IUI---it was 100% FREE. Who can say they have been to the doctor for appointments and procedures and walked away owing NOTHING?? That is absolutely unheard of!! We knew that was a huge blessing from God, and we were absolutely blown away by His goodness. Good numbers and a free procedure made us feel like this was it---that God had orchestrated all of this and we would conceive with that second IUI.
So we had to wait two weeks to test and see if the IUI was a success. Two weeks later we test, only to find ourselves disappointed, yet again. The IUI had failed. We were crushed. We were confused. We were angry. We have been battling infertility for over three years, and we are no closer to having a baby now than when we first started all of this. Yet our desire is still the same as it has always been: we want to have a baby. We want to be parents. Luke and I love kids, and just want to have one of our own. I cannot tell you how difficult this has been for us, especially since my job is working with kids and families. Add to that the fact that Luke is one of my best volunteers, and is amazing with kids. This has been so very hard for us. Fortunately, it has brought Luke and I closer as a couple. We refuse to let infertility pull us apart. We are in this together, for as long as it takes.
After two failed IUIs, we have been forced to look at other options. After much consideration and prayer, we have decided to take our doctor's recommendation and move forward with IVF. This was not an easy decision for us, as it is a VERY costly procedure. However, it is still less costly than adoption. We do not feel called to adopt at this point in our lives. That's not to say that we wouldn't try and adopt later, but for now we would really like to have a Collins baby. I know that may be hard to understand, but it is truly where we are in our journey.
When talking to our doctor about IVF, she told us she feels like our chances to conceive a baby with IVF are really good. A lot of people who try IVF either have female factor infertility (PCOS, endometriosis, etc.) or they have unexplained infertility (which means they have no medical reason as to why they cannot conceive). Because we have been diagnosed with male factor infertility, we know what our problem is--Luke's sperm doesn't have the volume and mobility it needs to get where it needs to be. With IVF, our doctor will take the "best of the best" and combine it with my eggs to make embryos. Then, we will transfer those embryos back into me with hopes of achieving a pregnancy. My body is functioning the way it should to be able to conceive. There don't seem to be any issues with my "systems", which is a huge blessing and makes us good candidates for IVF. With IVF you don't need a lot of sperm to be successful, you just need some quality sperm--which have been present in every one of Luke's samples. Given all that information, we have decided to try IVF.
We ask that you would join us in praying for wisdom and guidance as we move forward in our journey. We have much to do and much to save to make this a reality. One cycle of IVF costs between $15,000 and $16,000, so this is a huge step of faith for us. We are so glad that you are a part of our lives, a part of our story, and for always loving and supporting us no matter what. Each one of you mean the world to us and we wanted you to know so that you can pray with us and walk with us through this difficult time. We know that our story is not over, it is still being written, so we wait expectantly to see the great things that God will do in and through all of this. Should you feel lead to donate to this cause, you can do so through our GoFundMe page. Thanks for your support and prayers.

Love and God Bless,
Kristy & Luke