Leikka and Derek met in October of 2006 while in high school and have been together ever since. They became engaged while Leikka was in college and married just before she graduation.They knew that one day wanted to build their family and were so excited to do so. After what seemed like a life time of trying to conceive on their own, Leikka decided to call her doctor to see if there was anything that could be done to help the process along. Four months on Clomind came with stress and a lot of questioning as Derek and Leikka had not become pregnant.
At this point, they reached out to a specialist and received heartbreaking news that Derek had a rare form of Azospermia. This meant that their only option of having their family was through IVF. With the help of their family, Leikka and Derek were able to complete an IVF cycle the summer of 2015, and again, were faced with heartbreak as the cycle was unsuccessful. They decided to pursue an adoption through a private agency, but unfortunately, that came with a huge financial component and was also, unsuccessful.
In 2017 they attempted to do three IUI cycles using a sperm donor. After two failed cycles, Leikka was diagnosed with Stage II Endometriosis requiring surgery. Through all the heartbreak, Leikka and Derek stayed hopeful and didn’t give up. Introduced to the amazing team at the Institute for Reproductive Health, restored their hope that one day they’d have a family of their own.
IVF was the only option and they were unsure how to bear the high cost of IVF. Leikka and Derek were informed of the Parental Hope Family Grant and decided to apply. Little did they know that this leap would soon turn into the hope of a life time.
“We can not thank Jennifer and David Bross, along with the entire board of directors, enough for giving us the chance to welcome the miracle that we’ve been longing for. We are beyond grateful and truly blessed to have received the Parental Hope Family Grant.”