IVF

Hi, our names are Ricky and Mayra. We are raising funds for the medical bills of infertility treatment. When your doctor diagnoses you with infertility and tells you you may not be able to conceive, it is devastating on so many levels. We went down the invitro fertilization route. Your egg and semen are fertilized in a petri dish until they can survive the transfer into your uterus, possibly. Infertility is something seldom talked about. It brings so many emotions and hardships to couples suffering from infertility; low self-esteem, feeling less than a woman/man, anger, guilt, shame, depression, stress in a couple's relationship, divorce, the feeling of being judged, and financial hardship.

The financial hardship of infertility treatment is a significant financial hardship for those seeking treatment. Being pregnant is an elective procedure. For most couples, conceiving comes naturally and does not cause thousands of dollars to become pregnant. Some lose homes, savings, and retirement attempting to have a family that may not occur.

This journey has been one of the hardest we have gone through as a couple—the emotional pain of losing two babies. When the sonographer tells you that the heartbeat stopped, it is beyond words to explain...we lost our girl and then again a boy. We did not lose hope; we kept trying and dived more into debt. Pregnancy comes naturally to most, maybe somewhere on a beach or after a romantic dinner........

The physical pain of the multiple procedures and surgeries for preparation of infertility treatment. The side effects. I went through(not all will have side effects) almost led me to hospitalization. Ovarian hyperstimulation, when severe enough, can cause death. The daily injections became very painful. I had nowhere new area to inject at a point. Having to re-enter the same spots painfully for months. Missing one dose could cause me to abort. So you find the strength when alone to poke yourself when there is no one to help at that specific time you MUST inject—the fear of loss. The 4 hr drive a day for a 15-minute check, feeling utterly alone, scared you will be alone without your husband, and the ultrasound comes up with no heart tone again. I often had to do this alone while my husband had to work.

Having to do multiple IVF treatments will cost thousands of dollars.
Working during the pandemic as a Nurse, I continued our IVF journey. The stress of all the death, suffering, the physical hardship of caring for dying COVID patients took a toll on me. But I took an oath to take care of my community. I wasn't about to run when we were most needed. The emotional stress and physical stress did not allow our son to be born, and we lost him. We also lost our girl. IVF is not a guarantee of conceiving. The first time you hear the heart, you fill with so much joy, but then the fear sets in as, at any moment, you could lose her/Him. When I didn't hear that heartbeat, my world came crashing down, least to say.

God did bless us. We lost two angels, but God granted us our girl on the last try. He also granted us our boy. The last round of IVF was torturous, knowing this was it, our last chance. The fear, stress, pain.....Having to go through the IVF process multiple times felt unfair. Did we deserve this route? aside from the dynamic emotions, stress, and danger of side effects. It did financially leave us dry and under. Dreams shattered possibly?

Before becoming aware of our infertility, we wanted to continue our careers. Go to graduate school to continue to help the community by broadening our scope of practice. To better serve a variety of populations. We served the community during the pandemic. We cried, held, and said our goodbyes to the loved ones we cared for. Alone in a contactless environment and unable to say their last goodbyes. WE LOST OUR BABY FROM THE PHYSICAL AND EMOTIONAL STRESS OF ENDURING COUNTLESS SUFFERING AND PAIN DURING THIS UNPRECEDENTED TIME.

Our funds will be used to alleviate infertility costs. There are natural disasters, trauma, and loss of loved ones. Infertility itself is a hardship that not many are aware of. The degree of emotional pain, physical pain, and financial hardship is a nightmare that couples go through for years. OURS LASTED 6 YEARS. No matter what, we will continue to serve our community as before the pandemic, during, and after. We are asking for help to alleviate the financial Hardship of the treatments. We are also asking for our story to be shared to reach far and beyond for those couples going through this with and without success. Asking if you ever cross a donation opportunity for assistance for a couple struggling with infertility, please help. We want to be the voice for those voices who can't be heard. God bless

If our stories bring awareness to the public, who come across our page, that is a step forward to helping the voices heard who have a difficult time reliving the memories of the years struggling with Infertility.