Our Journey to In-Vitro Fertilization

Kristen Graham is organizing this fundraiser.

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Becoming parents is something Josh and I always knew we wanted someday. While it took Josh awhile to feel ready, I’ve known I wanted to be a mommy since I was 3 years old. I used to stuff pillows under my shirt and marvel that my belly would one day stretch that far. I always imagined the picture right after the baby was born. I had the baby in my arms and my husband would have his arms around us both. We’d be gazing in wonder at the little life we had created. We love to dream about what having a family will look like for us. We look forward to all the things we’ll get to do as parents: play barbies & trains, do art & science projects, read bedtime stories, go on nature hikes & camp, play at the beach, make cinnamon rolls and open presents on Christmas morning, teach them to drive and chaperone their first date. We want it all!

So, 7 years ago our journey to start a family began. I was nervous that something might be wrong since we hadn’t had any ‘surprises’ up to that point. So, I went to the doctor just to make sure everything was ok. She told us to try for a year first and if nothing happened then come back and we would start testing. A year later we weren’t pregnant, so back to the doctor we went. We ran a bunch of tests and found that while everything looked great for Josh, I had some fluid buildup that was concerning and required additional testing....expensive, painful testing. I’ll be honest...I was scared. The doctor told us that I have plenty of healthy eggs and that we could still possibly conceive naturally; so, we put it off for a couple of years, hoping for a miracle. After 3 long years of trying with no results, we decided it was time to do the test. The HSG test revealed that I had a blockage in my right fallopian tube, as a result of scar tissue caused by appendicitis as a child. It would require surgery to fix it but then we should be able to conceive on our own. So, in December 2018, I had the surgery to remove the damaged portion of my fallopian tube, disconnecting the right ovary and leaving me with just the left side intact. We began trying to get pregnant in January and were elated to find that we got pregnant on our 2nd try in February of 2019! We were SO excited to FINALLY see those two lines! But that feeling didn’t last long as we suffered a devastating miscarriage at 6 weeks. Such a bittersweet experience...celebrating the short life of our precious angel baby and the comfort of knowing that we could indeed get pregnant but also grieving the loss of so many hopes and dreams. We were more determined than ever to make those dreams a reality. Following my miscarriage, the doctor put me on several different medications ranging from Clomed pills to Pregnyl injections along with monthly sonograms to monitor my fertility, hoping for another sucess. Another year later and here we are...still with empty arms, waiting for our rainbow baby. It’s time for the next step...Invitro Fertilization (IVF). IVF is the process of using medications to stimulate egg production, egg retrieval, fertilization in a lab, embryo incubation and then implantation. It is a very involved and lengthy process.

This is something we’ve talked about several times hoping and praying for our baby to come before reaching this point but also anticipating that it could become a part of our journey. We haven’t shared any of our experience up to this point with many people because we've been holding onto the dream of getting to surprise everyone with an announcement. But if there’s one thing we've learned through this whole process it’s that we need to let go of our plans and trust in God’s plan. We have no idea what He has in store for us but we do know that He has given Josh and I the strong desire to be parents so we have to let go and take the next step. But we can’t do it alone. We are going to need an army of prayer warriors and supporters! IVF is going to be not only one of the most difficult things we ever face physically and emotionally...but also financially. We have already made some serious cutbacks and will continue to sacrifice and save where we can in order to contribute as much as we can to our own cause. But IVF is going to cost around $20,000, so we’re going to need a little help! We know that number is big. But I believe in a BIG God who uses small things to make BIG things happen. We don’t want anyone to feel pressured to do anything they aren’t comfortable with or anything they don’t feel led to do. So, with humble hearts, we are asking for your help in whatever way is right for you.

How can you help?

1) 'Buy’ a puzzle piece! We have had a custom 2,000-piece puzzle made with a photo taken by a good friend of ours, Kara Quan Montgomery. The image is of a beautiful rainbow painted across the sky in the mountains of Yosemite, CA... a place Josh and I love. After every storm, comes a rainbow. We’ve been through our storm, now we’re ready for our rainbow! We just need 2,000 people to donate $10 each by August 2nd (my birthday!) to reach our goal! You can buy as many or as few as you want...that’s up to you! For every $10 donation we’ll write your name on the back of a puzzle piece. Once every piece has been ‘sold’ we will assemble the puzzle and frame it in double sided glass to hang in our baby’s room, as a precious keepsake of our journey and a sweet representation of all the people who worked together in love to bring this baby into the world.

2) SHARE, SHARE, SHARE!!! If you want to help but aren’t able to contribute financially, we ask you to please share this fundraiser with all of your friends and family! Spreading the word to others will help us reach our goal faster!

3) Keep an eye out for different fundraising ideas we come up with to help raise money as we go!

4) PRAY, PRAY, PRAY!!! Pray that we are able to raise the money quickly so we can get started ASAP! (Since I’m turning 38, time is of the essence!) Pray over the doctor's minds and hands, that they would be God’s vessel to bring this baby into existence. Pray that we get a LOT of eggs and that those eggs turn into a LOT of healthy embryos. Pray that we find the perfect place to implant those embryos and that they are STICKY! Pray that it works on the first try making it as affordable as possible! And pray for a healthy baby that makes it to term and that we FINALLY get to hold in our arms!

We welcome and appreciate whatever level of support you are able to give and sincerely thank you from the bottom of our hearts for taking the time to read this and being a special part of our lives. We never thought our journey would take this path but now that we’re here, we are so excited to watch God’s plan unfold and can’t wait to see what the future holds! It’s going to be better than anything we could have ever imagined.