At the request of many of our family and friends, we have decided to start a go fund me.  Here is our story...

Never in a million years did we think this would be our reality. Becoming parents was something we had talked about very early on in our relationship and we both knew we wanted kids.  When I found out I was pregnant on our second wedding anniversary our dreams had come true. However, we went in for the 11-week checkup and the baby no longer had a heartbeat. We were absolutely devastated. Due to my family history of miscarriages we decided to have some of the baby’s cells tested. This is how we found out our daughter had a disability called Turners Syndrome which often results in miscarriage.  We then met with a genetic counselor who said that this was most likely a fluke and it was safe for us to try again. We became pregnant in November 2018 but lost that pregnancy 4 days after we found out. The doctor said this was called a chemical pregnancy and it was very common. We were losing hope, but the doctors said all of this was common and we could continue trying. We became pregnant the third time in June of 2019. We were excited, but very cautious at the same time.  This baby never seemed to be growing the way it was supposed to. It always measured very small on the ultrasounds, and at around 8 weeks when there should have been a heartbeat, there wasn’t one. We felt so defeated. We did not know what God was trying to teach us or what we had done wrong.  Again, we had some of the baby’s cells sent in for testing and found out that this baby had a DNA issue where the cells do not line up correctly. I then went through some genetic testing and found out that I have a balanced translocation of my DNA.  This means 2 parts of my DNA are not lined up where they are supposed to be. However, my DNA is balanced and the baby’s was not, resulting in the third miscarriage.  After receiving these results our doctor told us that conceiving a healthy baby on our own was like playing Russian roulette. Thus, we made the decision to try IVF.



                                                  First round of  injections 

We were approved for IVF in October 2019 and I began hormone injections the end of October. My first egg retrieval was the beginning of November. They were able to retrieve 19 eggs and then 7 of them were mature enough to be biopsied and sent for genetic testing.  The results of all 7 embryos came back abnormal. All of them had some sort of issue with their DNA. We were beyond devastated again. However, something  told us to pay upfront for 2 egg retrievals. So, in January of this year I went through a second round of hormone injections and egg retrieval. This time they were able to retrieve 18 eggs, however only 3 were mature enough to be biopsied and sent in for testing. Again, the results of all 3 embryos came back with abnormal DNA. When we asked the genetic counselor about a possible third egg retrieval, she said that the chances of having any healthy eggs were even smaller than before. Being told you will not have any biological children of your own was the biggest heartache I have ever faced. However, we genuinely and truly believe that everything happens for a reason. We know that God has a plan.  

                                                              All ready!!
                                                  
Because the reason we can’t have a baby of our own has to do with my “bad” eggs, we have decided to pursue egg adoption vs. embryo adoption so our baby will have Gary’s DNA.  The doctors have said I shouldn't have any problems carrying a baby full term therefore we have not been led to adoption alternatives either.  

Throughout these entire past 2 years we have never lost faith or hope. There have definitely been times where we have questioned God and tried to understand what he was/is trying to teach us, but we have never lost faith. 

 This brings me to the Go Fund me. Gary and I with the very generous help of my parents have paid for the egg retrievals out of pocket. California does not see infertility as medically necessary and most insurances do not pay for any type of fertility treatment or medications. Egg adoption is 3 times the price of “normal” IVF or about $60,000 in total .   If you feel led to help us continue on this journey, we will forever be thankful.  

We sincerely thank you for taking the time to read this, We hope to begin the egg adoption process by the end of this year. We know we have a very long and tough road ahead of us. We will get to the end of this heartache and we know everything will be worth the wait because God has a plan!