I was telling Kyhle earlier that I was bored and he told me to read a book. Ha! Read a book? Does he know who he's talking to? ;) I told him I was going to write on my blog. He says, "Which one?" I replied, "The only one I ever write on anymore..." He responded, "What are you going to say?" I said, "Not sure yet...it comes to me as I write."
This past week was National Infertility Awareness Week. I am a part of a few groups on Facebook for women/couples battling infertility and I loved seeing all of the posts, pictures, statues, and blog entries with their stories of hope, success, heartache and faith. I even reached out to a few of the women who wrote some of the posts, and have developed new friendships with them. I'm telling you--it's an instant bond!
One topic I have read a lot about lately is fundraising to help pay for treatments and/or adoption. Unfortunately, fertility is mostly not covered by insurance companies, and has to be paid out of pocket. Couples pay anywhere from a few hundred-$30,000 for treatments. Something else I learned is that 1 in 7 couples struggle with infertility, and 40% is male factor infertility. It is so sad to me that just to be able to start a family and have children, couples have to take out loans, refinance their homes, max out multiple credit cards, and save every last penny. If I had known it was going to take us 4+ years to get pregnant, man...I would have looked at money a lot differently! It is also heartbreaking to me that money is the issue for most couples. Money is the one thing standing between these couples and their precious babies. Stupid money!
A few friends have suggested that Kyhle and I do fundraisers to help pay for us to do IVF. It has taken me a while to think about it, and think about the idea of asking friends, family, and complete strangers for their help. A couple of friends have said, "We want to help you. Those who love you want to do what they can to support you guys and be a part of your journey." I have never been one who can easily ask for help. It takes a lot for me to swallow my pride and admit that we can't always do things on our own.
I have read a lot on the site gofundme.com and found hundreds of couples on there trying to raise funds for IVF treatments and adoptions. I was shocked at how many people were on there! It just confirmed to me that so many amazing couples are just trying to build their families, but they need the help of their loved ones and any willing strangers to help them out. I found out that Pampered Chef and Thirty-One both do fundraisers, and I have found consultants to help me set those up! My mom and I also talked about fundraising ideas such as selling candy bars at her school to the students for $1, baking yummy treats and selling them in the teacher's lounge, at church, or at work, and possibly doing a 3 on 3 basketball tourney or golf tourney. We also talked about setting up a garage sale at my parent's house in May or June to help raise money for IVF.
Two of the reasons this is so important to me now is because I have insurance coverage for 1 more year, where all of my medications ($3000-$5000) are covered, along with some of the procedure. After I turn 26, I lose my Dad's insurance, and possibly will lose any fertility coverage. Another reason is because of my ovarian reserve already being so low at .5. Unfortunately, Dr. Gentry has told me this gives me a limited amount of time to get pregnant. I have the egg count of a woman in her mid-30s, instead of her mid-20s. It also puts me at high risk for early menopause.
For Pampered Chef, I can host an online catalog party, and 10-15% of the proceeds go to our fundraiser. For Thirty-One, I will do a raffle and sell 100 "squares." Each square will sell for $5, or 4 for $15. After 100 have sold, first place winner will receive $100 towards Thirty-One products, and second and third place will receive $50 of products. The rest of the money will go toward our fundraiser. :) I thought with Mother's Day coming, it was good timing to do both of those fundraisers. I'm not sure how many people are interested in either of those, but it never hurts to try!
I am also going to set up a page on gofundme.com for anyone who would just like to donate to our fund. If you would like to be a part of our journey, I will post the link on my blog and my Facebook. We are so grateful for our friends and family, and would never be able to make it through this trial without you. Every single one of you who reads this blog are so special to me. If you are reading this blog, it shows that you care and that you are invested in our journey. We love you for that. Our baby will be so incredibly loved by their parents, their grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and many, many friends. We will be very lucky and blessed parents, but they will also be a very lucky and blessed child.
http://www.gofundme.com/8rg5i4
http://www.gofundme.com/8rg5i4
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