Support Ceci's Dream of Motherhood Through IVF

PLEASE CONSIDER: THIS STORY HAS SOME SENSITIVE CONTENT.

Introduction: This Campaign's Crowdsourcer, Melissa

Hi, my name is Melissa (on right). And, my friend's name is Ceci (on left). We've known each other since 2018, and our friendship has grown stronger every year. We've been together through some crazy life challenges. Well, to be honest, it's not just Ceci and I; we've had other friends in our circle too...

Early on, one of the people in our friend group told Ceci, 'Hey, don't worry, we've got your back. You're a part of our posse now.' Ceci, a native of Montevideo, Uruguay, who was in the USA to teach Spanish, thought posse meant 'possum.' Haha. Our friend group has been the 'Possums' since that early day.

She's a smart, loving, calm presence, and I am here to stand by her side as she looks toward her next challenge: having a baby.

Introduction: Future Mother, Ceci

(In Her Own Words)

My name is Ceci and I grew up in a busy coastal city in Uruguay. In a loving family with one younger sister, whose darling baby has my heart. I always wanted to be an archeologist, just like my uncle; he was so intriguing and interesting and had such cool projects. Then I met a 9th grade teacher that changed my life forever. She taught me and my young classmates with such energy and passion that I decided I wanted to be a teacher. That became my path in life: to work with young people.

I started my first teaching job during my second year of college, and was teaching a group of high school seniors -some of whom were exactly the same age as me. Talk about awkward! That assignment was my first big career challenge. And, I loved it, and I confirmed immediately that teaching was for me.

I relocated by myself to the US for a teacher exchange about 13 years ago. I was 26 years old. And, I moved right to the heartland of the United States, far away from the ocean. Minnesota! My primary goals were to improve my English and share my love for teaching with others. I was fascinated by the immersion modality of language learning, and I wanted to learn more, so when a permanent teaching job was offered to me, I stayed. I grabbed that opportunity.

I taught for 18 years, 10 of those years in the United States, and I worked with all grades. I loved every minute of it (well, nearly all of those minutes!).

Last year I accepted a new position with a United States agency based out of Boston, MA, and now my work is supporting young adults who have come to the US to work as au pairs (live-in nannies). I am on standby to assist them when anything goes wrong, or seems to go wrong. Sometimes they aren't even sure what problems they need to solve. They are young and they are here in the US alone, so I become their friend, their family, and their support system. Still a teacher, I walk them through adapting to a new family, a new country, and I walk them through life as they develop and mature.

Moving Toward Motherhood and Why IVF

I have always wanted to be a mom. But my path to motherhood has been full of hard turns. I had an unplanned pregnancy in my early twenties. I was scared, but excited at the same time. However, a few weeks in, I had a miscarriage. At the time, I viewed it as: my body is wise, I'm probably not quite ready.

My second pregnancy, as part of a long term serious relationship, was more anticipated and my partner and I were equally excited. However, this pregnancy also ended quickly in a miscarriage and this time I was devastated.

My third pregnancy was agonizing. I was, and am, the victim (and survivor) of a brutal assault in which I became pregnant. It was one of the saddest moments of my life. The trauma, the possibilities, the fear… all the feelings flooded my mind. All the possibilities sadden me, all equally hard. I felt terrified, guilty, and again, extremely sad. I miscarried again. Given the circumstances, I was anticipating some relief, but once again, the overwhelming feeling was sadness.

Time has passed and I am in a good place, always healing, and I feel I am ready. I have a nice home and a nice work life. A life I want to share with a family.

Last year I visited a fertility clinic to assess my situation and with these issues in mind: first, I’m single. Second, I am old (at least for this purpose). Third: my personal and family history. The doctor believes my miscarriages were caused by genetic abnormalities, so given the circumstances, she believes I can have a successful pregnancy through IVF, which is the only procedure that allows for genetic testing. Also, the most expensive! And there comes my fourth issue: money. My insurance denied coverage (of course) and the cost of the treatment is about 3/4 of my current salary. I have looked at loan options but the interest is high. My doctor suggested I try crowdfunding. My immediate thought was "no, I can’t!" If you know me personally, you’ll know that I would never ask for money. But after talking to a couple of friends, I decided to give it a try: if there is one good reason to do it, I cannot think of a better one than creating a life.

The total cost will be near 45k (20k for treatment + 10k for medication + up to 15k for donor tissue and expenses). It’s a huge amount, so basically any help to get me closer to that number will mean the world, to me and (hopefully) my baby.

If you don’t want help, or cannot help, that is ok, I understand. I just ask that you please don’t judge me. It wasn’t easy for me to ask for support, nor to share my personal difficulties. I thank you just for considering and reading about my mission.

In case you are wondering--I have also thought about adopting, and I will consider that for a second child. But it is important for me to be able to experience a pregnancy and be able to carry my baby to full term.

Thank you for joining my posse and helping me look forward to sharing my life and love as a mother.

~Ceci