This time of year is also about hope. As a member of the group, Conceivable Dreams, I see day in and day out the hopefulness in the posts by those women going through their first or second or third round of IVF. I know that keeping that hope alive is so difficult when you want something so much that it hurts. I know my own friends, after 3 failed attempts at IVF are finding it so difficult to move on and truly celebrate this season. Their hope is running out.
This time of year is about children. As I mourn the loss of our son, I also know that several couples mourn that child that will never be. They mourn the loss of a dream. The holidays bring pain, not joy. At the same time, I celebrate our two beautiful boys, on this earth because of IVF technology and our determination to be parents! I see Christmas in their eyes and I couldn’t imagine this season without them.
This time of year is also about giving. Recently, I’ve seen two amazing couples who have set up donation pages to help fund their IVF journey. Wanting desperately to become parents, they just can’t afford it on their own. As a family, we always make donations to children’s hospitals at the holidays, but this year, we added a small donation to help a couple realize their dream, just as we have fulfilled ours.
This time of year is about miracles. The first miracle in my life happened just before Christmas in 2003. My first beautiful boy was born. I became a mother against all odds against us. Scraping the money together for ICSI and IVF, we had been successful with that first try.
It would truly be a miracle to see Ontario fund IVF treatment for infertility and recognize it as a medical condition. In fact, 75% of Ontarians support public funding for IVF treatments, costs of which begin (on average) at $1000 for the very first visit and range as high as $10,000 for in vitro fertilization. These families take on the financial hardship, take out loans, rely on family contributions, mortgage homes, take on second jobs, and add to their emotional stress while trying to fund their IVF treatments.
No matter what this holiday season means to you, the truth remains- 1 in 6 people struggle with infertility and infertility has been recognized as a complex health care issue by the World Health Organization. Quebec, Belgium and Australia have all demonstrated successful funding models for infertility treatment. In doing so, each of these countries and provinces managed to trim their health care costs by millions of dollars. They have also shown commitment to maternal and infant health care. In provinces where couples spend $10,000 and take on three jobs just to pay for the fertility treatments they need, infertile patients are more inclined to ask for multiple embryos to be transferred. That leads to higher numbers of high risk twins and triplets. Twins and triplets are a blessing, but they also carry higher lifetime health and medical needs placing a burden on already overtaxed health care systems. In Quebec, the province has saved money by funding IVF and mandating single embryo transfer. The result is healthier babies born to healthier families.
Want to see an IVF miracle? Watch this amazing couple who was granted funds through Generations of Hope, to help realize their dream to become parents.
Find your voice. Share your story. Ask for support.
Conceivable Dreams is an Ontario group of infertility patients advocating greater infertility awareness and seeking public funding for IVF. To find out more about Conceivable Dreams, please visit their website.
Follow them on twitter, Facebook and Pinterest. The conversation on social media never stops. Follow the hashtags #OHIP4ivf #onpoli to join in.
Disclaimer: I am thrilled to be a member of the Conceivable Dreams blog team. I have been paid for this post, but I support IVF funding in Ontario.
Paula Schuck
December 19, 2013 at 1:59 pm (11 years ago)Heather: Many thanks for a great year of beautiful posts and for sharing your story. I love reading these posts and look forward to them each time you share. Your voice is powerful and we are lucky to have you sharing your story for Conceivable Dreams.
Happy Holidays! I wish you joy and good health and happiness.
Paula @inkscrblr