Our Story: Journey to baby Castro

As many of you are aware, Chris and I have been on a difficult path to start a family since 2016. For about a year, we struggled to become pregnant. The day finally came and we received a positive pregnancy test. At this point, we were filled with excitement and had our first ultrasound scheduled. Unfortunately, we received heart shattering news, there was no heart beat. We questioned what we did wrong and why this had happened to us. Without hesitation, we decided to try again. We assumed that we would become pregnant easily, without even imagining  another miscarriage. In 2017, we received another positive test. Although our hopes were extremely high, so was our anxiety. We did everything we possibly could to try and bring this baby into the world. Unfortunately, we were faced with rushing to the emergency room because I was miscarrying again.
Our doctor decided to begin chromosomal analysis on myself and the baby that I carried. We then learned that I have a balanced translocation between two of my chromosomes.  Due to this gene mutation, I will continue to have difficulty carrying to term without medical intervention. With this unfortunate news, we decided to play our cards one more time at natural conception. We knew our hearts were emotionally exhausted, but we decided this was going to be the last time before seeking fertility treatment. 

We became pregnant for the 3rd time in 2018. The only thing different this time was that I had to give myself daily shots and the doctors significantly increased my dosage in several medications. These medications added to the already reckless rollercoaster of emotions. We had decided to receive an ultrasound at 6 weeks for comfort. I vividly remember gripping Chris' hand so tight and not being able to open my eyes to look at the screen. But there it was, that tiny little flicker...we had a healthy baby! Fast-forwarding 3 weeks, I knew I was miscarrying. My heart was shattered and I had to argue with the emergency room to give me an ultrasound. As much I didn't want it to be true, I was losing another baby. 

Now that our hearts have had some time to heal, we have decided to pursue In Vitro Fertilization (IVF). Due to my chromosomal translocation, we will also have to go through Preimplantation Genetic Diagnostic (PGD). PGD will allow the retrieved eggs to either be identified as having a genetic defect or as normal. As I am sure many of you know, IVF is a very complex process with a very high price tag.

With both of our service in the Marine Corps and while Chris is still Active Duty, we have faced many additional challenges due to our commitments. On top of the already difficult situation, we are also having to factor in deployment rotations and inadequate health care coverage that doesn't even cover a fraction of our expenses for IVF. 

We are very fortunate enough to have this technology available to us and to be able to consider this approach to starting a family. Infertility is not something you plan for while growing up, but we do not want the financial aspect of this procedure to prevent us from starting a family. We ask our family and friends to help where they can, whether that be monetarily, simply sharing this fundraiser, or even with supportive words.

We will be forever grateful for any contribution to help us in the next step of growing our family. 

With love, 

Chris & Samara