<div>Hi everyone,
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>We’re reaching out to share something deeply personal and important to us.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>For a long time, we’ve dreamed of becoming parents and building a family together. Our journey to get here, however, has been much more difficult than we ever expected.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>In September 2025, my partner Sophie was diagnosed with mucinous ovarian cancer and underwent surgery to remove one ovary. We’re incredibly grateful that she came through such a frightening and life-changing experience, and thankfully her prognosis is positive. However, the impact on our fertility has been devastating.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>Due to the removal of one ovary, Sophie’s hormone levels have dropped significantly to the point where doctors believe it is now unlikely we will conceive naturally. Despite these circumstances and medical advice supporting IVF as our best chance of having a child, we have sadly been declined NHS funding for IVF twice, leaving private treatment as our only realistic option.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>Although Sophie’s prognosis is hopeful, there is still a risk that the cancer could return in the future. If this were to happen, it is likely that her remaining ovary would also need to be removed, potentially taking away our opportunity to have biological children altogether. This reality has made us feel that time is incredibly precious and that we need to pursue IVF as soon as possible.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>Sophie is also continuing to undergo regular MRI scans, blood tests and ongoing monitoring to ensure the cancer has not returned. Living with that uncertainty while trying to navigate fertility treatment has added another layer of emotional strain and anxiety to our lives.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>Even before treatment begins, the costs involved are enormous. We are facing thousands of pounds in fertility investigations, hormone testing, medications, scans and consultations alone. IVF treatment itself starts from around £4,500 per cycle, with medication costs estimated at approximately £3,000 per cycle on top. Depending on treatment needs, additional procedures such as ICSI, embryo freezing, genetic testing and embryo storage can add thousands more.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>After being declined NHS funding twice, we are now left trying to find a way to fund this privately while also managing everyday living costs during an ongoing cost of living crisis. The financial pressure, alongside the emotional strain of cancer recovery and fertility struggles, has become overwhelming for both of us.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>Sophie has dedicated the last 20 years to working within the NHS — starting her career as a midwife, later supporting women through pregnancy loss, and now working as a women’s health nurse. She has spent her life caring for and supporting others through some of the most emotional and difficult moments imaginable, which makes this journey even more heartbreaking for us both.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>Day in and day out, Sophie continues to work with pregnant women while quietly carrying the heartbreak of our own fertility struggles. Supporting others through pregnancy and motherhood while facing the possibility that we may never experience it ourselves has had a huge impact on her mental health and emotional wellbeing.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>This journey has also taken a significant mental and emotional toll on me, Sam. Trying to support Sophie through cancer recovery, fertility struggles, and the uncertainty of our future while also facing the rising cost of living and the overwhelming expense of IVF has at times felt incredibly difficult and isolating.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>Sophie is now 38, and alongside the effects of cancer treatment, we are also facing the natural decline in fertility that comes with age. Sadly, time is not on our side, and this truly feels like our last chance to try and make our dream of becoming parents a reality. We are also painfully aware that many NHS fertility funding pathways stop after the age of 39, which has added even more urgency and pressure to our situation.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>While we’re trying to stay hopeful, the emotional and financial toll of this journey has been overwhelming, but we are not ready to give up on our dream of becoming parents.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>We’ve created this fundraiser to help cover:
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>* Fertility investigations and hormone testing
</div>
<div>* IVF treatment and medication costs
</div>
<div>* Additional procedures such as ICSI if required
</div>
<div>* Embryo freezing and storage fees
</div>
<div>* Medical appointments, scans and blood tests
</div>
<div>* Counselling and emotional support during treatment
</div>
<div>* Time away from work for treatment and recovery
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>Asking for help is not easy, but we know we’re surrounded by people who care about us and want to support our dream of becoming parents.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>Whether you’re able to donate, share this page, or simply send kind thoughts and encouragement, it truly means the world to us. Every bit of support brings us one step closer to hopefully starting our family.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>Thank you for reading our story and for supporting us through this journey.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>With love and gratitude,
</div>
<div>Sam &amp; Sophie
</div>

Susan Senter

Garri Davies

Emma Franks

K W Chan

Anonymous

Louise Rogers

Emma Neary

barbara overton

Reema Harfoushi

Margarita Kirkutyte

Chris Davis

Selena Hassan

JP Singleton

shira groombridge

George Lenon

Milo Wrenn

After Cancer, We’re Fighting to be Parents

platform

Platform is iOS

Android

Adyen Google Pay Development Audience

$opt_dummy_attribute

English only

Deprecate Stripe Legacy

dyn_template_ids

Adyen V6 Bene Transfer & MyMoney Campaign Organizers - test01

Bene transfer V6 and AdyenV6MyMoney Campaign Organizers - production

OneTrust next-app audience

fundCountryCode

NextDoor Share Option Users

Fundraisers with Reactions feature capability

fundCurrencyCode

US + Non-charity COs Only

locale

fund country is US and user language is English

personId

comms-internal-person-ids

Enhanced Story Experience Users

Suggested Goal Experience Users

user language is English and fund country: US, AU, DK, FI, IE, NO, SE, CA, GB; 

Poster share - new funds eligible (newest 9/18)

Streaming widgets beta user

paymentProcessor

3DS payment method

user language is English and fundCountry: US, AU, DK, FI, IE, NO, SE, CA, GB; 

currencyCode

Money Box Donation List Prompt Experiment Audience

GoFundMe Employees

ipAddress

Mark Rieth IP Address

Version 9.2.0 and above

Fund is in English speaking country

desktop

Android v12.11.0 and above

Platform is Android

paymentMethodType

checkoutType

Payment method type group to be vaulted on success

admin pr kit prod

EUR Donation Upsell

Share Text generation Skip Fundraiser

(prod) new funds eligible for amp12 (UGC gallery)

fintrac_cad_idv_form_v2 audience

paymentProcessorAccountId

fallback mode accounts

proCampaignId

p2p legacy startfundraising page

AMP24 New Funds Only PROD (DO NOT MODIFY)

countryCode

charityId

UKCharities

Federated Search Internal Testing

route.pathname community

US Donation Upsell audience 

Auto Thanks Feature Audience

Supporter Comments Eligible Funds

International Only

fundId

braze fundraiser group 

Payment Identity Transfers ATO Risk Check (Targeted) - Production

Fundraiser Saved Payment Method Rate Limit Bypass (Production)

leaderboard-partner-id-audience-givepanel

Version 9.2.1 and above

AUD Donation Upsell audience

fundraiserCountryCode is US/EN

Active Fundraiser - Smart Default Cadence

DAF Internal

Vault on success card payment method

Platform is iOS v11.0.0 and above

Desktop users

Person ids

United States (US) users

allow yuno fundraisers for test

Mexico country code

Posters INTL

NPO Profile Opted-In

iOS at or above 12.4.0

non-US recurring donors

Canada Campaign Owner Group

Fundraiser Without Meta Link

Scheduler payment tester gorup

charityCommunityId

Charities allow to be claimed unclaimed (PRD)

Canada (CA) users

UC Tipping v20250115 International

pymk_production_xplr_fe_team

Android at or above 12.2.0

Profile photo entry point audience

smart goals (fundraiser/manage) on test01

Activity Tracking v1 Beta Testing

start gfm intl allowed locales

Platform is iOS v11.2.0 and above

NPO upsell education category

unclaimed charities

prod_ach_audience

AI Chatbot Audience

amp13 only new funds (prod) (anyword auto)

UC Flow Enabled (Prod)

Payment Identity Beneficiary Verification - Production

shared notification bell audience

Custom users

ach frontend audience

Android v11.0.0 and above

Users Receiving Payments Paused Notifications

smart goals test01

Manage Coach - US English Organizers Only + new funds only

Team EGG - IP Address list

NPO recommendations prod

Fundraiser Without Instagram Deep Link

Native 11.4.0 and above

UC Tipping v20250107

Users Receiving Braze KYC Validation Failed

Native 11.3.0 and above

ai_title_page

anyword

openai

control

manual_entry

userEmail

template_id

userId

fundUrl

isCharityCo

email

appVersion

shouldBucketIntoExperiment

partnerId

donationCadence

isActiveFundraiser

isPartner

isMobile

npoProfileOptIn

fundIsLinkedWithMeta

hasSessionDonation

categoryGroup

isCampaignOwner

fundHasInstagramDeepLink

Native 11.4.0 and higher

New funds eligible - Video Sharing (PROD)

GB Donation Upsell audience 

Auto Thanks V3 Rollout Audience

Thank you V3 testing whitelist

isRecurringFriendly

Is Recurring Friendly

Excluded funds - Video Sharing

NPO upsell animals category

NPO upsell disaster relief category

Logged In Users

CH Donation Upsell audience

Android v10.6.0 and above

NPO upsell essential needs category

NPO upsell medical category

userCurrencyCode

Localized Currency

NPO upsell cancer category

v11.5.0 and above

testAudience

pathname

Survicate

appVersion is at or above 12.8.0

Non-charity fund

isChallengeFundraiser

challenge-fundraisers

Payment Identity Launch Verification - Production

New funds eligible - Posters v2

CAD Donation Upsell Audience

Braze Email Tester

NPO Profile Opted-Out

iOS App Version

hasKnownDonors

PYMK has donors

iOS v12.3.0 and above

After Cancer, We’re Fighting to be Parents

Still £3,000 to go. Help us build momentum.