Hi There!
We’re the Di Bella’s— my name is Jessica and my husband’s name is Mario. We started dating when we were only teenagers back in 2005— dreaming together what our wedding day would be like, how we would build a life together and of course, what our future babies would be like. The value of family and wanting to create one of our own one day, has always been a common value we treasured about one another. By being intentional in our prayers over parenthood, we believe that our desire is a calling the Lord has placed on our hearts not merely as a "lifestyle", but a ministry to further bring glory.
Our fertility journey began unknowingly in 2012 after we said, “I Do”. We decided to not use birth control, as we would have joyfully welcomed the gift of a child in the sanctity of our marriage, if the Lord saw fit, while we intended to use the first couple years to enjoy being husband & wife. Assuming we were just “really good” at avoiding getting pregnant without contraceptives, we decided that we were ready to start growing our family in January 2015. After 6 months, we knew deep down something wasn’t right. We decided to seek help through my OBGYN, who after running blood tests & ultrasounds, encouraged us to “keep trying” for another 6 months and was optimistic that would do the trick.
Fast forward 6 months… nothing.
A few more blood tests, a few more ultrasounds, a very painful HSG procedure… nothing. Convinced that it could possibly be Mario’s contribution, he tested and was found to be above average in all areas. Back to the drawing board. Our OBGYN was beside herself and was honest, that she didn’t know what else she could do to help. I left the doctor’s office in tears, as it sunk in— something was wrong. We felt disappointed and lost, but we continued to pray for the Lord’s direction & to answer our prayers to conceive.
Coming to terms with the fact that we were struggling with infertility was overwhelming, frustrating and devastating. We continue to do our best to keep a smile on our faces and even though we are happy for them, it’s been tough to watch our closest friends and those around us get pregnant with ease. Each month we have clung on to hope & prayed with white knuckles that THIS would be the month. Walking past baby aisles and periodically making small purchases for the moment I could tell my husband and our family that, “We’re pregnant!”
We never thought we would struggle to grow our family, and nevertheless sought help from a Fertility Specialist after the encouragement of friends through church who had struggled with the same trial. We did our research and made an appointment with one of the top Fertility Specialists on the west coast, with one of the highest success rates for couples struggling with infertility in the nation.
With Mario’s side of things being excellent, our doctor ran me through a few more routine tests and procedures. We were put on a level 1 for our treatment plan— medications + vitamins + multiple monthly ultrasounds + multiple monthly blood work + restrictive diet + trigger shots + timed intercourse. We were excited that this could finally be it!
Three months into treatment and we had no success, so we switched medications, hoping my body would respond better to a different drug. Each month, being harder and harder, as well as becoming more devastated emotionally, physically and financially with no results. We were now classified as “Unexplained Infertility” after 2.5 years of trying to get pregnant intentionally, and almost 5 years unintentionally with no contraceptives.
After our last failed cycle, we were told that we had exhausted the level of treatment we had been trying at (with a 39% chance to get pregnant overall), and with our testing results and lack of fertility insurance coverage, Level 2 (IUI) wouldn’t provide us with any greater odds than that of which we had been trying already. Since I am currently under 30 years old, as well as all of our other tests show in our favor, our doctor is very optimistic and has said that IVF would provide us with a 80-90% chance to become parents on one try.
In Vitro Fertilization is intensive and extremely expensive. Unfortunately, our medical insurance does not cover a dime. It has become more and more difficult to come up with the funds to proceed with fertility treatment, after spending thousands upon thousands of dollars. With over 2.5 years worth of blood work, testing, procedures and medications all paid for out of pocket, we have exhausted our personal finances. This is why we need your help. It is both difficult & humbling to even ask for help for such a personal journey, but we pray that through our transparency & vulnerability, God will be glorified and other couples will be comforted. We know ultimately the Lord will provide as He sees fit and most importantly, we want to give glory to God through this entire journey & process. We are hopeful that IVF could work for us and we want to give IVF (an egg retrieval and an embryo transfer) a shot. Our doctor feels that our chances of success for IVF are extremely high with good quality embryos, me being under 30 years old, as well as being healthy with no pre-existing medical issues. The longer we wait, our chances for success decrease, statistically speaking.
The total cost for an IVF cycle is:
$17,500= Pre-IVF procedure, lab work, ultrasounds, egg retrieval and 1 embryo transfer
$4,000 (-$3,800 worth of meds donated + discounts approved for)=Medications
$18,700=Total
Your help would mean the world to us, because it will give us a chance to grow our family that we’ve dreamed of. We thank you beyond measure in advance for your help, your prayers and for taking the time to read our story. We are extremely grateful for all of the love & support already shown to us by our closest friends and family who have been on this journey with us since the beginning. Above all else, we ask for your prayers- that our trust, hope & joy would be completely in the Lord.
God Bless,
Mario & Jessica
Unfortunately Go Fund Me does charge us as recipients a 5% fee per donation. If you feel led to contribute through a different platform to avoid us being charged fees, we will update the total amount on here with what is received overall.
Jessica will also be offering photo related services in which all proceeds will go directly to our IVF treatment as well | Please contact through www.jessicadibellaphotography.com
-Discounted rates on Wedding Albums
-Mini-Sessions Dates
-Select Fine Art Prints