Help the Stangles have an Ataxia-Free Baby
Donation protected
UPDATE: NEW GOAL - $15,000
A group of generous donors recently contacted Melissa and me and pledged to match any donation $1 for $1 up to $7,500 through May 16th - my birthday!
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Ataxia is a rare, genetic disorder that many people do not know about. Yet in my family, it has been passed from generation to generation; specifically in the males in my family. My grandfather, uncle, and father’s lives were taken too soon from Ataxia. My brother and I have also been diagnosed with Ataxia. Although there is no cure yet, I am learning to live life with Ataxia and do the best I can while my symptoms get more prevalent.
My hope is that one day there will be a treatment for those affected by this incurable disease. But for now, my wife and I are trying to have offspring that are not affected by Ataxia. We have undergone one treatment of IVF which includes genetic testing. At the end of the process we had one embryo and were really excited about the possibility of having this baby. Unfortunately, the embryo did not successfully implant; we were heartbroken. The entire experience was physically, emotionally, and financially draining for us.
Although our IVF experience was heartbreaking, our desire to have a family is even greater. Specifically we want to make sure our children are not affected with Ataxia. This means we have to undergo another round of IVF and genetic testing. The first round was $20,000+ and we are expecting the next round to be the same. My wife and I are educators and this amount of money is too much for us to be able to take care of ourselves. We know our goal is high, but any support will help us get started on our second IVF cycle. Your support is the only way we can make this happen and it would mean the world to us to have it.
Forever grateful,
Chris & Melissa Stangle
Information about Spinocerebellar Ataxia:
https://rarediseases.info.nih.gov/diseases/10748/spinocerebellar-ataxia#diseaseOverviewSection
A group of generous donors recently contacted Melissa and me and pledged to match any donation $1 for $1 up to $7,500 through May 16th - my birthday!
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Ataxia is a rare, genetic disorder that many people do not know about. Yet in my family, it has been passed from generation to generation; specifically in the males in my family. My grandfather, uncle, and father’s lives were taken too soon from Ataxia. My brother and I have also been diagnosed with Ataxia. Although there is no cure yet, I am learning to live life with Ataxia and do the best I can while my symptoms get more prevalent.
My hope is that one day there will be a treatment for those affected by this incurable disease. But for now, my wife and I are trying to have offspring that are not affected by Ataxia. We have undergone one treatment of IVF which includes genetic testing. At the end of the process we had one embryo and were really excited about the possibility of having this baby. Unfortunately, the embryo did not successfully implant; we were heartbroken. The entire experience was physically, emotionally, and financially draining for us.
Although our IVF experience was heartbreaking, our desire to have a family is even greater. Specifically we want to make sure our children are not affected with Ataxia. This means we have to undergo another round of IVF and genetic testing. The first round was $20,000+ and we are expecting the next round to be the same. My wife and I are educators and this amount of money is too much for us to be able to take care of ourselves. We know our goal is high, but any support will help us get started on our second IVF cycle. Your support is the only way we can make this happen and it would mean the world to us to have it.
Forever grateful,
Chris & Melissa Stangle
Information about Spinocerebellar Ataxia:
https://rarediseases.info.nih.gov/diseases/10748/spinocerebellar-ataxia#diseaseOverviewSection
Organizer
Melissa Fernandez
Organizer
Austin, TX