Beating The Odds - IVF After Cancer
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The laws of nature do not make exceptions for nice people. A bullet has no conscience; neither does a catastrophic storm, a roaring bush-fire or a malignant tumor. I write this GoFundMe on behalf of my incredible partner Hayley, in the hopes that it will help facilitate our journey through post cancer IVF and towards creating our family.
In 2014 Hayley was diagnosed with Ewing's Sarcoma, a rare and aggressive form of cancer. After 12 rounds of chemotherapy and 6 rounds of radiation, spanning over 10 months, Hayley was eventually declared cancer free in April 2015.
A year of her life was effectively lost to endless pain and fatigue, as chemotherapy poisoned her body, and the amazing doctors and specialists beat the odds to save her life. Though cancer free, the long term impacts such as weakness, fatigue and reduced control of her body will last a life time. Those same lifesaving treatments would rob her of the ability to have children without medical intervention, and threatened to take away her dream of having a family. IVF is now the only option left for Hayley to have children of her own.
Everybody’s journey with IVF is different and with Hayley that is no exception. At the beginning of her cancer treatment she had an ovary removed in the hopes of preserving fertility, and in September of last year grafts from this ovary where implanted back in her abdomen. In the most simple of terms the drugs she will take will try to ‘wake up’ these grafts and get them to produce eggs once more. If that stage is successful then those eggs will be harvested and if viable an embryo will be created.
It may sound simple but we face obstacles at every step, and the odds are excruciatingly low. The grafts may not produce eggs; if they do those eggs may not support life, if embryos are created they may not survive to insertion, and if inserted they may not survive the first 3-12 weeks. The grafts also have a very small window of viability. We have been forced to make a start now, because within a few years IVF will no longer be an option. Each cycle will run into the next until we either find success, or time and money have run out. It is basically now or never.
A typical cycle for IVF can cost upwards of $11,000 and we still do not know how many cycles Hayley will be able to have. We need all the help we can get from our family, friends and strangers to make our dream of a family a reality. Cancer has robbed Hayley of so much, and it kills me to see her suffer. Please don’t let it rob her of starting a family too.
In 2014 Hayley was diagnosed with Ewing's Sarcoma, a rare and aggressive form of cancer. After 12 rounds of chemotherapy and 6 rounds of radiation, spanning over 10 months, Hayley was eventually declared cancer free in April 2015.
A year of her life was effectively lost to endless pain and fatigue, as chemotherapy poisoned her body, and the amazing doctors and specialists beat the odds to save her life. Though cancer free, the long term impacts such as weakness, fatigue and reduced control of her body will last a life time. Those same lifesaving treatments would rob her of the ability to have children without medical intervention, and threatened to take away her dream of having a family. IVF is now the only option left for Hayley to have children of her own.
Everybody’s journey with IVF is different and with Hayley that is no exception. At the beginning of her cancer treatment she had an ovary removed in the hopes of preserving fertility, and in September of last year grafts from this ovary where implanted back in her abdomen. In the most simple of terms the drugs she will take will try to ‘wake up’ these grafts and get them to produce eggs once more. If that stage is successful then those eggs will be harvested and if viable an embryo will be created.
It may sound simple but we face obstacles at every step, and the odds are excruciatingly low. The grafts may not produce eggs; if they do those eggs may not support life, if embryos are created they may not survive to insertion, and if inserted they may not survive the first 3-12 weeks. The grafts also have a very small window of viability. We have been forced to make a start now, because within a few years IVF will no longer be an option. Each cycle will run into the next until we either find success, or time and money have run out. It is basically now or never.
A typical cycle for IVF can cost upwards of $11,000 and we still do not know how many cycles Hayley will be able to have. We need all the help we can get from our family, friends and strangers to make our dream of a family a reality. Cancer has robbed Hayley of so much, and it kills me to see her suffer. Please don’t let it rob her of starting a family too.
Organizer
Phillip Brien
Organizer
West Bendigo VIC
