Hello my name is Tarryn Kearns and I was born with a very rare medical condition called MRKH (Mayer-Rokitansky-Kuster-Hauser Syndrome). It is a disorder where the vagina, cervix, and uterus aren’t fully developed. It’s so rare it usually only happens in 1 in 5,000 girls.

I realized that I was different from all my friends at a very young age, when I noticed that almost every other girl my age had already gotten their period. At 16 I decided to take matters into my own hands and visit the doctor to figure out what was wrong.

After multiple doctor appointments, MRI’s, and ultrasounds, my physician referred me over to a specialist at UCLA Medical Center. We went to my first appointment and I knew that something was wrong. On the way to our car, my mom stopped me and told me the devastating truth.

She told me that I cannot carry a child or have sex since my uterus was too small and my vaginal canal wasn’t fully developed . It broke my heart because anyone who knows me knows how excited I was to have my own children and become a mother. And it was even more devastating that there was no real reason why me out of all people was cursed with this disorder. It usually occurs in females who’s family didn’t even have a history of MRKH whatsoever. It was nothing my parents did wrong. It just happened. Knowing there wasn’t anything I could’ve done killed me.

In order to correct the issue of my vaginal canal, the options came down to different types of surgeries. But according to medical insurance, it’s not a necessity...it would be considered a “cosmetic surgery” which is absolutely heartbreaking. The surgery would create a vaginal opening, allowing me to be able to have an intimate relationship like any other woman gets to experience and would improve my quality of life. The surgery lasts about 1-2 hours with a 96% success rate. I will be hospitalized for about a month but would be so worth it in the long run. I still will not be able to carry children, but it will make me feel more like a woman.

I cannot live my life to the fullest or expect anyone to want to be with me since that is such a big part of a relationship. Not only that, but I feel less of a woman because of these set backs.

Unfortunately I do not have the funds nor does my family, with not only the surgery to correct my vaginal canal but eventually one day have enough funds to complete my life long dream of becoming a mother and finding a surrogate. It is sad that both the surgery and surrogacy are so expensive. After reading other stories of girls with MRKH, I see that they have turned to gofundme to try and raise funds for their surgeries and surrogacies. I’ve decided to take this path as well and see if I can raise funds to fulfill my life long dream.

I just want to live my life like every other woman out there that doesn’t have to go through mountains in order to live a happy life.

Any funds would help me in my journey whether is $1 or it’s $20, it would make me so happy knowing that I’ve brought attention to this disorder and hopefully more people will want to learn more about it and ways that they can help. If you can’t donate please share this it would mean just as much as a donation!

Thank you for reading my story and thank you to everyone who has supported me through this. You are making it one step closer to achieving my goal and allowing me to live a happier more fulfilling life.