Most people close to Dan and I already know we have been trying to have a baby for the past two and a half years. What some people don't know, is what has happened during those two and a half years of trying. If you aren't interested in the gory details, skip down a few paragraphs and we will fill you in on HOW YOU CAN HELP :)
     For the first year and a half, everything was looking "normal," which meant we fell into the category of unexplained infertility. However, in July of 2020, I had to go in for laparoscopic surgery and was diagnosed with stage 3 endometriosis. The good thing was that we had a reason we hadn't been able to get pregnant, but the bad thing was that this diagnosis came with many more complications. I was able to get in to see one of the best endometriosis specialists in California, but this came with months of phone calls pressing for referrals, and hundreds of dollars spent out of pocket for testing in order to get more answers.
     In September of 2020, Dan went to get his sperm analysis, just in case there was also something going on with him. Spoiler alert: It came back perfect (yay for Dan). This same month, I went in for two MRIs so that my doctor could get a better idea of how my disease was progressing. The first MRI took an hour and a half, I squeezed the "oh shit" ball, and I had to go back for the second with a Valium. The second was much easier. While we were hoping to get good news, my specialist called me right after the appointment to let me know:
1. I have tons of gallstones and will need to have my gallbladder removed (ironically thanks to my 2018 "keto for fertility" journey)
2. My endo was not stage 3, but stage 4. My uterus is currently attached to my bowel and my ovary is attached to my uterus
3. Because of my endo, I had developed severe hydrosalpinx and both of my tubes will need to be removed
4. IVF was going to be our only option to conceive a child

NOW:
So here we are. We went for a consult at one IVF clinic with my current Reproductive Endocrinologist, but one cycle of IVF was going to cost us $25,000 (the national average is currently somewhere between 2-3 cycles for a live birth). As someone already struggling with anxiety, I couldn't even imagine the amount of pressure that would be put on my body to perform within one cycle at that clinic. 
So we moved on and found Life IVF in Irvine, CA. While it is much more reasonable, the package we are looking at still costs $20,000, not including some extras such as:
-Local anesthesia for the egg retrieval (where they literally stick a needle into your ovary and suction out your eggs)- $175 per retrieval
-Sunday/holiday fee (because most of this is depending on what day I start my period)- $350 per occurrence
-ERA (Endometrial Receptivity Analysis)- $795 This is a test done to determine which day is best for transfer an embryo. It can increase chances of live birth by up to 25% per transfer and is recommended for me because I will be doing our transfer after my surgery.

So here is our plan:

A. Start IVF- somewhere between March 5-10. This means hormone injections for me for approximately 14 days

B. Egg Retrieval- This is when they remove my eggs and hopefully make embryos with Dan's sperm. They get genetically tested and frozen if they are normal.

C. Kendra's surgery- Hopefully in April I'll be having my endometriosis removed along with both of my tubes. It takes 6-8 weeks for recovery

D. Embryo transfer- This will happen once I am recovered from surgery

Luckily, with the plan that we have chosen with Life IVF, it allows for two complete IVF cycles. If neither cycle works, it covers a third for free. But as you can see, all of this is insanely expensive, so in comes the puzzle fundraiser.

HOW CAN YOU HELP?

We have purchased a 500 piece puzzle from Etsy, and we are selling pieces of the puzzle for $20. If you purchase a piece, we will write your name on it. If you purchase multiple pieces, we will include a message from you on the puzzle. When it's completed, we will hang the puzzle in our future nursery so that Ambriz Mountain Baby will know how it took an entire community of love to bring him/her about.
^This is what the puzzle looks like

It is scary and uncomfortable sharing this much of our personal lives with everyone, but I continue to be amazed by the amount of support that has been offered when we have shared our story. IVF is not a guarantee, but we are hopeful to have the opportunity to try every means possible in order to create the family we have dreamed of. We love you all so much and thank you for your generosity. 

If you are more comfortable donating on Venmo, you can send to
@Kendra-Croddy and the money will be put directly into our IVF savings account.