My name is Crystal and my husband is Juan. I am 43 and he is 34, and we have been trying to become a family, but luck has not been on our side. We started off doing IVF in 2020, and after 3 years of it, we finally were able to get pregnant and stay pregnant after a total of 2 ectopics and 8 miscarriages. Our son, Matteo, made our dreams come true, and we were over the moon. At the 6-month mark, my sac tore, and I got admitted to the hospital, hoping he'd stay till 36 weeks. Well, my boy must have been in a hurry to meet me and came at 24 weeks and 5 days. He was in the NICU and doing great, but one day he was diagnosed with NEC. After that day, he kept getting worse and worse. I had to watch my baby go through multiple surgeries, watch the nurses and doctors bring him back twice when his heart stopped and slowed. We had to have multiple end-of-life talks, which no mother should ever have to go through. I only got to hold my baby boy one time and never got to hear a cry. In the end, he was diagnosed with NEC stage 2, kidney failure, and was comatose. His whole body swelled up, and his toes and fingers turned black. He hadn't responded to pain or touch nor peed or pooped for 5 days. We knew it was time and had to let him go on 09/16/23. He died in my arms knowing nothing but love. I had never left his side till that day. He lived and fought for 41 days. This changed our lives and broke us.

I tried doing a few more IVF embryo transfers since then, and nothing has worked. We are trying private adoption since the foster care system is giving us a difficult time and being discriminatory against my husband due to his race. We have said yes to birth mothers, but no one has said yes yet. Others we've had to say no to due to being over our budget. We'd like to raise this money so we can say yes to those who are perfect for us. Both of us work full-time, and we save and save, but times are expensive, and we just can't get that extra saved. Our savings will be empty, but we will have a child and be a family and have a chance at healing our hearts and being happy again. I am not one to typically do something like this, but I'm getting desperate and want to be a mother, that's all. Anything will help and be much appreciated and grateful for. Please, I'm begging, help us to become a family. I'm an open book, and if you have questions, please don't hesitate to ask. Share this with everyone and ask them to share. Thank you