Thank you for taking the time to read our story and for considering a donation. We are humbled and grateful. We have both hoped and dreamed of being parents our entire lives. Even when we first started dating, we shared our wishes of having a large family. After we got married in 2015, we began trying for a baby. With much excitement, we knew we were finally mentally and financially ready to start a family. We had purchased our home with our future children in mind and made changes in our careers to be more equipped for our future family. However, this process proved much more challenging than expected.
We found that we were able to get pregnant easily, but continued to miscarry. This was an extremely difficult time, as we were shuffled around from doctor to doctor undergoing countless tests and precautionary procedures, but finding no solutions to our problem. Additionally, we also suffered an ectopic pregnancy requiring emergency surgery. Each loss was weighted with feelings of hopelessness, failure, and despair. The miscarriages, doctors, tests, procedures, and surgery were not only emotionally and mentally draining, but incredibly costly.
After losing our four natural pregnancies, we knew it was time to change paths. After speaking with our family and doctors, we chose to pursue IVF for one year before turning to adoption. Our parents, who suffered each miscarriage along with us, generously funded our IVF treatment as we qualified for a money-back guarantee program. We had already spent thousands of dollars trying to start a family (co-pays, tests, surgery, medications, acupuncture, supplements, etc.) and we were so grateful for their financial assistance.
After experiencing three additional pregnancy losses during IVF and knowing there was no guarantee of success with further treatment, we were confident that adoption was the best path to build the family we’ve always wanted. With the love and support of family, friends, and each other, we have worked through our losses to grow as future parents. Through our struggles, our marriage has grown stronger and we have become even more emotionally prepared to welcome a child into our lives.
Fortunately, we received our IVF money back as we withdrew from their “Shared Risk” program. This money covered about half of our expected adoption costs. While we were thrilled to already have half of our budget, it was extremely difficult to find the remainder of the money to reach our budget. We pinched pennies, worked side jobs, and applied for grants; desperately trying to find the remaining money without draining our accounts, which we will surely need once the baby arrives. Fortunately, we were awarded $5000 in grant funds from the Cade Foundation, and finally reached our budget.
Unfortunately, at the end of 2021, after waiting for a match for 8 months, Eric got laid off due to COVID cut-backs within his company. As he is searching for a new job, our adoption agency has asked us to increase our budget another $15,000 due to COVID related inflation costs. We have already invested nonrefundable $17,000 into this agency, and feel as though we are backed up against a wall. After 5 years of trying to start a family, 6 miscarriages, 1 ectopic pregnancy, rounds of IVF - we feel heartbroken and defeated that COVID has impacted our abilities to adopt. We do not want this $15,000 to be the end of our dreams of becoming parents.
We require this financial assistance because we are already in a great amount of medical debt after losing our seven pregnancies. While we continue to pay off the doctors and hospital bills, we also are paying off our home, cars, student loans, and credit cards that funded IVF medication. As our adoption process progresses, we will need to pay the remainder of the agency costs and must be prepared to travel and stay in the birth mother’s state for about two weeks after delivery. Once we are back home with our child, we must continue to pay off our debt and cover our day-to-day expenses with the added cost of a newborn. Additionally, we will need to pay for childcare once we return to work.
By receiving this grant, we can free up our personal finances to be put toward daily expenses and childcare, while the grant money will go directly toward the adoption. Our parents have already gifted us so much money, therefore they are unable to continue funding our journey for a family. Looking into the future, we hope to someday have the large family we both always dreamed of. For this to happen, we are humbly asking for financial assistance to fund our first adoption. If we do not receive a grant, we will be unable to continue forward with our adoption agency. We will be forced to walk away from the nonrefundable $17,000 we have already paid them.
Thank you for making room in your heart for our story today. We are eternally grateful for your consideration.
