My husband Derek and I were married in 2021, and soon after, we began trying to conceive. By November of 2023 I had my first appointment to talk to my family doctor about our infertility and increasing pain during my menstrual cycle.
In June of 2024, I was diagnosed with stage 4 endometriosis, and we were referred to Olive Fertility Clinic. By now we’ve dreamed about having a family for longer than anyone should have to wait to make that dream come true.
In November, we started our first IUI cycle, full of hope and excitement. What followed was four intense months of emotional highs and lows, countless tests, and two more failed IUI attempts. When IUI failed, the devastation was harder than we could have imagined. By our third and final cycle, we were emotionally exhausted and heartbroken, knowing that IVF would be the next step.
As we began to research and prepare for what this next chapter would require, we were overwhelmed. The fear of failure, the stress of finances, and the growing emotional and financial cost attached to our dream of having a child weighed heavily on us. We both felt the deep injustice of our situation and were living in a constant state of grief and fear about what IVF would mean for us, both emotionally, physically, and financially.
When Olive Fertility advertised a Zoom conference on endometriosis and its connection to infertility, I signed up right away. I was so thankful that someone was offering information on exactly what we were struggling with.
At the end of the video, Isabelle spoke about grants available through The Fertility Friends Foundation. I knew we had to apply. We had to try for any kind of help with the overwhelming financial cost of IVF.
Being chosen to receive this grant from The Fertility Friends Foundation means the world to us. We had been working so hard to save, and sacrifice, but progress felt painfully slow. Knowing that my body was still growing endometriosis and working against us while we waited was heartbreaking. The struggle of being forced to wait because of finances was crushing.
This grant has lifted some of that weight. It gives us the chance to begin sooner. And the look on my husband’s face when we found out and said, “We can do this, we can have a baby!” That moment will stay with me forever.
The grant is not just a dollar value; it relieves us from months of hard work and sacrifice to bring us closer to our goal. It represents the thoughtful, generous donations of an entire community of people willing to help us.
To the donors and everyone involved in making this grant possible: thank you, from the bottom of our hearts. Your generosity has given us more than financial support; you’ve given us renewed hope, strength, and a chance to keep moving forward.
This journey has been long and painful, but knowing we’re not alone — that people out there care enough to support families like ours — means everything. Thank you for helping us take the next step toward our dream of becoming parents.
