1.0 Our Story

We've been trying for 3 years to have a baby and we haven't had any luck.  I come from a large family with two brothers and four sisters.  My husband only has one brother.  But we both always wanted to have a large family of our very own.

I'm only 34 but I've been diagnosed with Primary Ovarian Insufficiency (POI), which is a fancy way of saying that my ovaries behave as though they're a lot older than my 34 years.  My eggs don't respond the way they're supposed to.  We've spent a lot of money on medications and a couple of rounds of Intra-Uterine Insemination (IUI).  The last time I tried IUI, I achieved a Chemical Pregnancy - and that's a fancy way of saying I was pregnant but I had an extremely early miscarriage.

Update: We tried In-Vitro Fertilization (IVF) with my eggs in early November and that didn't work since Ive reached End Organ Failure.  Its like youre stepping on the gas but the car isnt moving.  So now we're trying IVF using my baby sister's donor eggs.

This costs more than we have in our savings.  The whole process has been extremely devastating for both of us, as well as for our families.  I just know we're going to be wonderful parents when the time comes.  And we hope that you'll find it in your heart to help us achieve our dream.

2.0 The Impact

Let's be honest.  It's possible that our kids will grow up to cure cancer or become Prime Minister, but the impact will most likely be less for the world as a whole and more for our family.  I'm an Engineering Physicist and I was a candidate for the Canadian Astronaut Program in 2008.  Edmund is a Journalist and Political Scientist.  We're both gifted in music and art, and we're great bibliophiles.  We will encourage our children to find their strengths and pursue their dreams just as we have pursued ours.  As far as genetics and family support go, they're going to have a very good start.

3.0 What We Need

In Canada we have a very good Health Care system, but unfortunately most provinces, including Ontario where we live, do not cover IVF.

Here is the breakdown of costs for IVF:

        Assessment of sister for donor egg status: $2,000

              IVF using donor eggs: $14,325

o   Cycle Monitoring;

o   Egg Retrieval;

o   Embyro Creation including Intra-Cytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI injecting sperm directly into the eggs) and Assisted Egg Hatching (just what it sounds like);

o   Implantation; and

o   Legal stuff, paperwork and nurse time.

              Medications: $4,000 to $7,000 required for

o   my sister to stimulate egg growth and ovulation; and

o   me to accept the embryo after fertilisation.

              Social Worker: $900 to make sure that

o   We understand the emotional implications of the procedure; and

o   My sister and her wife arent being coerced, so they know what theyre getting into.

              Legal business: ~$2,000 to $5,000

o   to make sure that everyone understands who the legal parents are.

              Two Flights from Saskatoon to Toronto: ~$1500

o   The first is for an assessment; and

o   The second is to do the procedure.

4.0 Now What's In It For You?

We're asking for a lot of money here, so we want to make it worth your while.  See the VIP Perks section for incentives.  Check back often for updates to VIP Perks section.  Maybe you have an idea for a perk.  Send it my way and I'll see if it's feasible.

5.0 Other Ways You Can Help

If you can't donate money, maybe there's a special skill or item you could donate to the people who have the money.  You could offer someone a family recipe, a fiddle composition, a calculus lesson, or a poster design in exchange for a donation to this cause.  Be creative!  We'll add these offerings to the VIP Perks section.

We're also accepting Air Miles and Aeroplan donations to bring Patty to Toronto shell need two trips.  Transferring Air Miles costs 15 cents per mile.  Transferring Aeroplan points costs 2 cents per point.

And you can also help by getting the word out.  Please post this link on your Facebook, Twitter, blog, or other social media site, or email it to anyone you think can help.  This might not change the world, but it's going to change our lives utterly.  We can't do it without you.  Thank you!

6.0 What's going on now?

25 April 2011

We tried but it didn't work and now we're going to take a break from everything before we start the Adoption process.  Thanks for your support through all of this.

25 January 2011

The schedule now looks like we'll be trying this in May, so we should have news by June.  By that point, you'll have to get updates from http://www.facebook.com/eeoconnor.  Only ten days left.  It's not too late to contribute.  Cheers.

14 January 2011

Patty got herself tested this week.  Things are looking up.  Maybe in March we can do this.  Thanks for all your support.

2 January 2011

We just spent our Christmas holidays visiting Edmund's family in France.  It was nice to get a break and step away from it all.  Now we have nine days to get ready for Patty to visit.  It's pretty exciting!  We're trying to be hopeful without being too hopeful, if you take my meaning.

I hope you all had a nice Christmas and New Year's too.  Cheers.

10 December 2010

Were accepting Air Miles and Aeroplan Point donations to get my sister from Saskatoon to Toronto twice.

You can transfer Air Miles by calling 1-888-AIR MILE (247-6453).  It will cost 15 cents per Air Mile.  See https://www.airmiles.ca/arrow/FAQResults?faqId=700069.

You can transfer Aeroplan points by visiting https://www1.aeroplan.com/use_your_miles/share_miles/step1.do.  That will cost 2 cents per Aeroplan point.

Thanks y'all.

9 December 2010

So what I have is called End Organ Failure of my ovaries.  My only hope of giving birth to a baby is to use donor eggs.  My baby sister has offered, so the next step is to get her checked out.  If she turns out not to be a good candidate, we'll likely adopt.  But if she is a good candidate, we might have a little Patty this time next year.

Of course using donor eggs will cost way more than using my own.  It will be about $14,000 plus drugs ($4000-$7000) plus lawyer fees plus shrink fees plus airfare for Patty twice.  Contributions are still welcome.

Merry Christmas!

7 November 2010

It seems that my body is not responding to the drugs, so no IVF this month.  I don't know what happens next.  I'm out $4623, non-refundable, but I'll be getting some of the rest of the money back later this week.  Please keep the contributions coming, since I'm sure we'll only be rescheduling the IVF, not cancelling it.

1 November 2010

I went back in this morning.  It looks like one of the items in my Possible Costs list, ICSI, has turned into a Definite Cost.  That brings what I owe up by $1500 I hadn't quite figured on.  I can do it, but it means my needs are greater.  Please give if you can.

25 October 2010

I went back to my doctor yesterday for a repeat of the endometrial biopsy.  It was way less painful this time.  It helped that Edmund was there letting me squeeze his hand this time.  His poor fingers.

 

Now I just have to wait for the IVF.  I won't know it's time until it's time, but don't worry I'll be posting here as soon as I know anything.

 

I have a very exciting new perk I'm about to post.  I can't believe how generous people are being for this project!

15 October 2010

I saw my doctor this morning.  She did an endometrial biopsy to increase my chances of successful implantation.  It seems pretty cutting edge.  This is all google could tell me about it, apart from anecdotal information:  http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12798877?dopt=AbstractPlus.  I'll be doing that again on the 24th, then IVF proper should start within a few weeks.

Keep those donations coming.  We're doing great!