Hello! We’re Shannon and Jesse Story, and we have a ten-year-old son, Bentley; who is our absolute miracle. We live in Council Bluffs, IA, and our entire family and all of our friends mean everything to us. We’re the kind of people who love hard, laugh often, and are happiest when we’re just simply spending time together; whether it’s a family walk/hike, adventuring someplace new, or just being home surrounded by love, movies, and board games.

We’ve always dreamed of giving Bentley a sibling, and our home has been ready to welcome another little babe for a long time. But unfortunately the road to growing our family hasn’t quite gone the way we hoped.

Over the past five years , we’ve been through thirteen rounds of IUIs and three rounds of IVF, filled with hope, prayer, and perseverance. Despite producing many healthy-looking follicles each time, my eggs haven’t matured the way they should, leaving us with very little to work with and no embryos to transfer.

We recently learned that Bentley’s conception was even more of a miracle than we realized. My doctor believes the challenges we’re facing now likely existed back then too, but by the grace of God, we were thankfully able to conceive our beautiful boy. We’ve always considered him to be the best thing that has ever happened to us, we just never fully knew just how much of a miracle he truly was.

After consulting with our doctor and doing a lot of soul searching, we’ve decided that one of the only options left for us to grow our family in the way that feels right for us, is to move forward with donor egg. This path gives us the best chance to bring another baby into our family; one who will be loved beyond measure and grow up surrounded by the same joy and warmth that Bentley has brought into our lives.

Unfortunately, this next step comes with a significant financial burden. Our insurance benefits are nearly maxed out, and the cost of purchasing donor eggs and completing another IVF cycle is overwhelming (typically ranging from $15,000-$20,000)

This includes:

• Either working with a fresh donor or completing a donor egg purchase from an egg bank

• IVF lab and procedure costs

• Medications and monitoring

We’re humbly asking for support from our family, friends, and community. Every donation, no matter how small, will go directly toward our donor egg IVF journey. Even sharing our story means the world to us.

Your generosity helps us hold onto hope; hope that Bentley will one day have a sibling to laugh, play, and grow up with.

We will never forget those who helped us along this journey. One day, we hope to tell our future little babe just how loved they were before they ever existed, and how the kindness of others made their life possible.

From the bottom of our hearts,

Shannon, Jesse, and Bentley Story