Hello, my name is Kristen, and I’ve been on my fertility journey for almost 5 years. Being a mom has been my dream since I was a little girl, and I’ve done everything I can to make that dream come true. But the path to get there has been far more challenging than my husband and I ever imagined. Our journey has been marked by profound highs and lows. We’ve experienced the cautious hope of multiple IVF rounds, the heartbreak of a miscarriage, and the difficult diagnoses of Diminished Ovarian Reserve and Stage 2 Endometriosis. Through it all, we have continued to hold onto hope and believe that somehow, we would find our way to becoming parents. When we first created this fundraiser, we were preparing for what we hoped would be our final IVF cycle using my own eggs. We gave that cycle everything we had. Unfortunately, after retrieval, fertilization, embryo development, and genetic testing, we learned that our only embryo was not genetically viable. Once again, we were left with no embryo to transfer and no baby to bring home. After three IVF cycles, we have now reached a point where pursuing another cycle with my own eggs is no longer the path we feel gives us the best chance of becoming parents. As incredibly difficult as that has been to accept, we are choosing not to give up. Instead, we are now pursuing donor eggs or donor embryos. This is a path we never imagined we would have to take, but we are beginning to learn about donor matching and the medical, legal, and transfer costs involved. After nearly five years of fertility treatment, we have spent more than $100,000 out of pocket, as our insurance provides no coverage for fertility care. That money represents years of sacrifice, hope, and unwavering love for a child we have yet to meet. We are once again humbly asking for your help. Our dream of becoming parents has not ended. It simply looks different than we once imagined. We are doing everything we can to keep moving forward, and we are hopeful that donor eggs or a donor embryo may ultimately give us the opportunity we have been fighting for all these years: the chance to bring a baby home. Any contribution will help us take the next step toward building our family. Whether it helps with donor matching, medical expenses, legal fees, or the eventual embryo transfer, every bit of support brings us closer to our goal. If you are unable to donate, sharing our story means just as much to us. You never know who might see it, share it, or help connect us to the person or opportunity that changes our story. This journey has broken our hearts in ways we never expected, but it has also shown us just how much hope, love, and resilience we have within us. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for continuing to support us, believe in us, and carry a little bit of our hope with us. We are incredibly grateful. ❤️