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IVF for Alex & Jean

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Alex and Jean are the kind of people who give selflessly on a daily basis but will never ask for help themselves. They both believe that no matter what they face in life, there is always someone fighting a bigger battle. They also feel it’s unfair to place their financial burden on others; determined to overcome this challenge, like all others, on their own. But my family and I disagree with their refusal to accept compassionate giving from others. So, I want to start off by saying, this is not a plea from them, but from me, as someone who knows deep in my heart that they deserve the same opportunity for help that they are always providing to everyone else.

My brother is the most giving man I’ve ever known! As a Physical Therapy Assistant, Massage Therapist and Certified Personal Trainer, his whole life is dedicated to bettering the lives of others. He works incredibly hard in every aspect of his life. He’s always reading, researching and seeking to learn more so he can pass that knowledge on to others; even teaching free seminars after work to educate the community. It’s not uncommon for him to stop whatever he’s doing because someone has approached him with a question or asked for help. I’ve witnessed him providing months of free therapy and massage to injured friends or family, myself included. Once, he even adjusted someone’s injured shoulder in the middle of a concert! Four years ago, when Jean needed a hip surgery that left her in a wheelchair for months, he was everything she needed every step of the way, while still giving everything he had to everyone else. I’ve never seen him turn someone away for anything, big or small…and you’ll NEVER hear him complain! I think you’ll see in the pictures below just how much Alex adores kids and the way they love him back. All of their friends’ kids think he’s a superhero! I can’t wait to see him get to be a hero to his own kids!

Jean is an elementary PE teacher and puts her whole heart & soul (and every extra minute of her time) into making a difference for her students. It is so important to her that they have the opportunity to learn and thrive in an environment where they feel loved and supported. Which is exactly why the families at her school absolutely adore her! Jean is so more than a gym teacher! She’s helping her kids develop confidence, self-discipline, empathy, accountability, and teaches them that it’s ok to be their true selves. In her classroom, she stresses emotional health; teaching students how to cope when their feelings or anxiety become overwhelming. She’s a champion to every child! Over the past few years, she has mentored students whose behavior disrupts their learning, by helping them develop socially and emotionally; and most importantly by being someone they know they can always turn to. And that’s just during school hours!! Jean coaches 2 separate running teams after school 4 days a week for 20 weeks of the school year! Quite often she’s one of the last teachers to leave campus. She co-coaches Special Olympics which includes Saturday competitions and overnight trips, and has been a prom buddy the past 2 years for Night To Shine, an event that allows adults with special needs to have the prom experience of a lifetime! I’m always amazed at the amount of energy she puts toward everything she’s involved in and the passion she has for her students! How many other teachers do you know that attend Saturday morning baseball games, karate belt graduations, tennis matches, dance recitals and middle school chorus concerts? She is going to be an AMAZING MOM!

So, I’m sure you can only imagine how devastating it was for her to find out that an autoimmune disorder affecting her fallopian tubes left both of them swollen, filled with toxic fluid, and completely blocked. It would be impossible for them to conceive naturally and the damage to her tubes left her severely high risk for a life-threatening ectopic pregnancy. In early June, she underwent laparoscopic surgery to have both tubes completely removed. IVF (in-vitro fertilization) is now the only hope Jean and Alex have of starting the family they so desperately want and so deeply deserve. For those of you that may not be familiar with IVF, the process is expensive and is not covered by insurance. In total, each round of IVF will cost more than $15,000 with no guarantee of success.

Jean & Alex aren’t shy about sharing their journey in hopes of providing strength and courage for others suffering from infertility. Likewise, I’m not shy about sharing how incredible they both are and how much they deserve a chance to be parents. Even if you don’t feel compelled to help financially, I would still like to thank you for reading their story and ask that you support them through positive thoughts or prayer.

 

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Donations 

  • Sarah Auche
    • $100
    • 7 yrs
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Organizer and beneficiary

Carly Barker
Organizer
Spring Hill, FL
Jean Howey
Beneficiary

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