How much money are you raising? What does my donation go towards?
We are looking to raise $12,000. We are contributing our own money and will add more as the time goes on. Any money donated will go into a separate checking account specifically for Hatching a Miracle. Your donation will go first towards the cost of the IVF treatment and medications, with any additional money raised going towards further procedures that may be needed.
What happens if you don’t raise the money by the end of May?
Our dream is to start a family. The goal of the end of May is based on ideal timing for me as a Teacher, my students, co-workers, and family. But if we aren’t able to have the money by then, we’ll continue to work hard and save money until we can afford this procedure.
The reason for May is because, initially, the procedure will require daily appointments for two weeks, followed by additional time off after the procedure - the summer gives me the most flexibility to do this. If we start in the summer, our baby should arrive towards the end of the school year in 2024, allowing me the most time with our new baby with the least impact on my students and co-workers.
What happens if you raise MORE than your goal?
Anything above the amount of the IVF treatment and associated costs will go towards baby related expenses.
What Method of IVF are you using?
With the help of my OBGYN and our own research we are planning on doing Minimal Stimulation (Mini-Stim) IVF. Dr. Edward Dourron has almost thirty years’ experience with IVF and is the only doctor in Atlanta currently practicing the Mini-Stim IVF method. He personally completes every stage of the process which is not common in conventional IVF. I’ve been to three appointments with him, and he understands what Justin and I are looking for, our beliefs, and has addressed our concerns with the process.
One of the things I was concerned about was the moral complications of fertilizing multiple eggs and what to do with the ones we don’t use. Dr. Dourron’s philosophy is to create a personalized and unique solution tailor made for each family. He believes that if we want one baby, we should be given the resources to make that one baby without having to worry about the ethical implications of multiple embryos. This has solidified my belief that he’s the right doctor for us.
The Mini-Stim IVF method has a higher percentage of producing viable fertilized eggs while reducing the amounts of shots and medications I’ll need to be on which will be less stress on my body and will have a lower medication cost than conventional IVF – costing about half as much.
Mini-Stim IVF also differs from conventional IVF in that only one fertilized egg is placed in the woman at a time instead of multiple.
You can learn more about Mini-Stim IVF and see my doctor explain the process in this three minute YouTube video.
Are you sure it will work?
Conventional IVF has an average of 55% chance of a healthy birth. Dr. Dourron has shared with us that in his experience, couples in our situation, have an 80% chance of success with this procedure. All pregnancies run the risk of complications. However, after looking at x-rays and test results Dr. Dourron is confident that my body will accept the embryo and the baby will be able to grow to full term with minimal risk of additional complications. And he is sure that I will be able to give birth to a healthy baby.
Between this, a lot prayer, and the support of our friends and family. Justin and I have hope that in 2024, we’ll be hatching our miracle.