Rachel and Justin met at the early age of 19 years old at the WEBN Fireworks. Introduced through a mutual friend, they were instantly drawn to each other and fell in love. They were married two years later in the fall of September 2013. After six years of growing together in their marriage, Rachel and Justin bought their first home in a storybook town centered around families.
In the fall of 2019, shortly after settling into their new home, they began trying to have a baby. Months went by with no success. After a year, Rachel and Justin knew something was in the way of their fertility journey and dream of starting a family.
Rachel sought advice from her OBGYN, who directed the couple to the Institute of Reproductive Health. After testing, IRH was able to determine the heartbreaking news that their chance of conceiving naturally was less than .01%. Despite this heartbreaking news, Rachel and Justin remained positive and determined in their journey to become parents. In the fall of 2021, the couple decided to start IUI treatments. Three IUI cycles later, Rachel and Justin received their first positive pregnancy test! However, just a few days before Christmas, the couple suffered a heartbreaking miscarriage at 7 weeks.
In April of 2022, Rachel and Justin decided to do a fourth and final IUI cycle that unfortunately ended with no positive outcome. The couple reached out to their doctor at the Institute of Reproductive Health for options going forward and together decided that IVF was the next step. After spending all the money they had saved for year and the funds in their HSA account, Rachel and Justin were unsure how many years they would have to wait to be able to afford the high cost of IVF.
After receiving the Parental Hope grant, Rachel and Justin share, “Whether it’s months or years, battling infertility is a long hard journey to suffer through. We are very thankful and blessed for this opportunity we’ve been given to start a family.”