Dear friends and family, The first time I met Jess, she was holding a baby. Since then, I have come to see that her love for children is an expression of everything that makes her wonderful. Every friend's kid is her niece or nephew, because she loves the energy each child gives, and she delights at being a part of their lives. If you live in Bloomington and have kids, you know that her number-one favorite thing to do is to pick them up from school or daycare. Yes, she really is one of a kind! Jess has long wanted to experience pregnancy, and together we've developed a deep desire to become parents and nurture our own little one. Now that we've been married for almost 2 years, and together more than 6, we're trying to start our family. After trying less involved and expensive options over the past year, we've decided that in-vitro fertilization (IVF) is the next step in our journey. It's not this way in every country, but in the US, insurance doesn't have to cover IVF or any fertility treatment, and the government doesn't subsidize it at all. After extensive research into clinics in three states and five countries, we've found that our best option is to stay with our amazing doctor who has overseen our IUI treatments, up in Carmel. We're in very good hands with her, and she has high hopes for our success! Nothing is a guarantee, but we want to give this everything we've got. With costs amounting to $30,500 for one round (including treatment, medications, and donor sperm), and with how much we've invested already, we've let our friends convince us to turn to our community for help. We'll put in everything we can, and if friends and family who are in a position to help can pitch in a bit here and there, we'll be set up for the best medical care and starting our family on the right foot. Thank you for reading our story and showing us love in all the ways you do! We have no expectations that anyone will contribute; if you're able, thank you! If you aren't, we know you're rooting for us, and that means the world to us! Love, Abby and Jess (Henkel) Roman   p.s. Some folks have chosen to support our baby journey via Venmo because it doesn’t change any fees, so with their permission we’re posting those names here to include them in the goal: Sarah and London Montgomery, $1000 Emily DeVoe and Nick Snyder