Pay it Forward

I was recently contacted by a person who found my blog via the Stirrup Queens - which is an insanely organized (and for ME to commend someone on their organization is huge as I'm obsessed with organization myself) list of infertility blogs, as well as life after infertility blogs. The Stirrup Queens were a fantastic resource for me when I was in the thick of infertility, because I could easily find blogs that related to our situation and suddenly, here was a whole other group of people just like me! Since infertility is incredibly isolating in real life, the online community is a life saver.

As such I've been very involved with online communities of women dealing or that have dealt with infertility, as well as just fellow moms who share the same every day struggles, humor and well, their life with us. I've found myself donating money here and there to people I have never met in real life, and likely never will. Women who have suffered terrible losses in some way. Some have lost their children. Some have lost their children before they were born. Some have lost their parents. Some have found themselves in dire straits of some sort, and their online communities were a place for them to vent and get support. And in turn, sometimes we help out financially where we can. I am insanely proud to be part of these communities. I have seen first hand trees planted in honor of babies lost, and those trees and the land they were planted on were purchased by women who were touched somehow by their online friend. I have watched repeatedly a call to action by one person receive numerous replies within minutes. We're talking hundreds of dollars of donations to one person. Just to help them get by. Because we can. Because we care. It's extraordinarily touching. There are some good people out there.

That said, one of these good people contacted me about an online silent auction she has created to help a couple raise money for their second IVF attempt. I don't know this woman, nor was I familiar with her blog. I don't know the couple, although I did look at their infertility blog and saw within the first few posts the word endometriosis, and know first hand what this couple is dealing with. Not that the type of infertility matters, but I know the pain she deals with daily. I know the frustration. It sucks. A lot.

I will post below the post Kristen sent me regarding the auction, and if you can help in any way, please do. But first, I want to say how much it pisses me off that they have to do this. It's just not fair. I don't know how else to say it. It's not fair that insurance doesn't cover infertility treatments. It's not right, it's so fucking wrong it's not even funny. I'm sick of watching people in my community panic as their early treatments fail and they think their only option is IVF and how they will never be able to afford it. And therefore never get to be a parent. We were extremely fortunate that we had the money in savings to cover our IVF cycle, and even more fortunate that it worked the first time. Most don't. And we only had the money thanks to an inheritance. We also knew by using that savings that we were giving up on our dream to buy a house. We were living in an 800 sq foot 2-bedroom house. It was tiny. It was old. But we were more than willing to stay there, where the rent was cheap, if it meant we could be parents. Not long after Sabrina was born the market completely tanked and we were able to buy a house. But we had to make a decision most couples don't. Use your savings to try to become a parent, or use it for a down payment. It's wrong.

I'll step off my soap box long enough to get the information out about Team Witt. Thank you for reading.
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In the world of infertility, it is often a rare occurrence to be able to help someone conquer this trial, but this weekend, you have the opportunity to do just that!

Jill and her husband have already been through one cycle, the money to make their dream of parenthood a reality is hard to come by. THIS WEEKEND on goteamwitt.blogspot.com there is an online silent auction in their honor. They are still accepting donations until midnight on Thursday MST. Donation information can be found on the auction blog.

Here's how you can help:
1. If you are a business owner (or know someone) and would like to donate an item to be auctioned off, please click here for more information. We are also interested in finding a business that would be willing to match our total donation goal....!

2. Bid on our online auctions starting June 24th!

3. If you are uninterested in either of these options, you can always go directly to http://goteamwitt.blogspot.com and click the donate button to make a monetary donation.

4. Spread the word on your blog, facebook, or twitter! This will be a huge help.

If you have any questions, contact goteamwitt [at] gmail.com

Let's make a miracle happen!