Donation protected
We would like to share with you about our friend Christine Sporer (Goings) and her husband Ryan Sporer.
Cancer has been a presence in Christine's life since she was a young girl. At 4 years old, her biological mother passed away after a battle with stomach cancer. Because this type of cancer is hereditary, Christine then had a 50% chance of being diagnosed with this same disease. As a result, she was subjected to annual screens for cancer. These scans were a blessing because at 15 years old, Christine was also diagnosed with stomach cancer following her annual check-up. Her medical team was able to make the diagnosis early into the cancer’s development and removed Christine's stomach and the cancer efficiently from her body.
Fast forward seven years, and Christine is newly engaged (just three months!) to Ryan. In the midst of the excitement of planning their wedding, the C-word reared its ugly head once again. Doctors found a mass on one of Christine’s ovaries. Further testing proved it too to be cancerous. Just four months before her wedding, Christine underwent surgery to remove the mass and her one ovary. However, due to Christine’s medical history, the doctors want to remove her other ovary as soon as possible to reduce the risk of further cancer growth. This forced the soon-to-be newlyweds to consider that, if they wanted to have biological children in the future, they would need to make the decision to freeze Christine's eggs. And the decision would have to be made soon. Imagine planning a wedding and then adding this heavy decision into the mix! Not to mention the cost associated with the necessary medical procedures (and a wedding).
Now, we are not sharing this with you to evoke sympathy for Ryan and Christine. Walking beside them during this time has been such an incredible experience for us because they continue to praise God and ensure His glory shines through this situation. Instead of focusing on the daunting costs of these medical procedures, they are grateful these procedures exist and that they have these options available to them!
Ryan and Christine have made the decision to freeze her eggs and to preserve their ability to have biological children one day. They have made this decision wholly understanding the risks and costs and fully trusting that God will see them through.
The required procedures will cost between $22,500 and $41,000, broken down as follows:
1) One cycle of IVF (in-vitro fertilization) costs $11,500. Preferably, two cycles would be completed to increase the odds of pregnancy in the future.
2) Genetic testing on 8 embryos costs $6,000 and each additional egg costs $500. This testing checks the genetic makeup of the egg to ensure Ryan and Christine's future children do not carry the same cancerous gene that Christine has. It is likely that 50% of the embryos will carry this cancerous gene.
3) The frozen embryo transfer when they want to get pregnant will cost another $2,000.
4) The medications associated with these procedures are estimated to cost between $3,000 and $6,000. This amount covers only the costs of medications over the next few months; however, Christine will have to be on medication for the rest of her life because of the removal of her ovaries.
This situation is not desirable but it is Ryan and Christine's reality. And they are navigating this new territory with grace and thankfulness. We are so proud of them!
The question then becomes, how can we as a community rally around Ryan and Christine at this time? And that brings us to this GoFundMe campaign. The ultimate goal of this campaign is to bless them with financial support through these procedures. We ask that you prayerfully consider a donation to Ryan and Christine.
Ryan and Christine have already expressed to us how blessed they feel by the outpouring of love and support. Let’s go beyond their wildest imagination and allow God to bless them financially through each one of us!
Love,
Jessica Steingard, Jocelyn Grilo & Jayelle Hatchard
Cancer has been a presence in Christine's life since she was a young girl. At 4 years old, her biological mother passed away after a battle with stomach cancer. Because this type of cancer is hereditary, Christine then had a 50% chance of being diagnosed with this same disease. As a result, she was subjected to annual screens for cancer. These scans were a blessing because at 15 years old, Christine was also diagnosed with stomach cancer following her annual check-up. Her medical team was able to make the diagnosis early into the cancer’s development and removed Christine's stomach and the cancer efficiently from her body.
Fast forward seven years, and Christine is newly engaged (just three months!) to Ryan. In the midst of the excitement of planning their wedding, the C-word reared its ugly head once again. Doctors found a mass on one of Christine’s ovaries. Further testing proved it too to be cancerous. Just four months before her wedding, Christine underwent surgery to remove the mass and her one ovary. However, due to Christine’s medical history, the doctors want to remove her other ovary as soon as possible to reduce the risk of further cancer growth. This forced the soon-to-be newlyweds to consider that, if they wanted to have biological children in the future, they would need to make the decision to freeze Christine's eggs. And the decision would have to be made soon. Imagine planning a wedding and then adding this heavy decision into the mix! Not to mention the cost associated with the necessary medical procedures (and a wedding).
Now, we are not sharing this with you to evoke sympathy for Ryan and Christine. Walking beside them during this time has been such an incredible experience for us because they continue to praise God and ensure His glory shines through this situation. Instead of focusing on the daunting costs of these medical procedures, they are grateful these procedures exist and that they have these options available to them!
Ryan and Christine have made the decision to freeze her eggs and to preserve their ability to have biological children one day. They have made this decision wholly understanding the risks and costs and fully trusting that God will see them through.
The required procedures will cost between $22,500 and $41,000, broken down as follows:
1) One cycle of IVF (in-vitro fertilization) costs $11,500. Preferably, two cycles would be completed to increase the odds of pregnancy in the future.
2) Genetic testing on 8 embryos costs $6,000 and each additional egg costs $500. This testing checks the genetic makeup of the egg to ensure Ryan and Christine's future children do not carry the same cancerous gene that Christine has. It is likely that 50% of the embryos will carry this cancerous gene.
3) The frozen embryo transfer when they want to get pregnant will cost another $2,000.
4) The medications associated with these procedures are estimated to cost between $3,000 and $6,000. This amount covers only the costs of medications over the next few months; however, Christine will have to be on medication for the rest of her life because of the removal of her ovaries.
This situation is not desirable but it is Ryan and Christine's reality. And they are navigating this new territory with grace and thankfulness. We are so proud of them!
The question then becomes, how can we as a community rally around Ryan and Christine at this time? And that brings us to this GoFundMe campaign. The ultimate goal of this campaign is to bless them with financial support through these procedures. We ask that you prayerfully consider a donation to Ryan and Christine.
Ryan and Christine have already expressed to us how blessed they feel by the outpouring of love and support. Let’s go beyond their wildest imagination and allow God to bless them financially through each one of us!
Love,
Jessica Steingard, Jocelyn Grilo & Jayelle Hatchard
Organizer and beneficiary
Jocelyn Grilo
Organizer
Edmonton, AB
Christine Goings
Beneficiary