Julie Richardson, a HOPE member, wrote the following story. It’s the beginning of our “Personal Stories of HOPE” series.
On February 26th 2006, my life changed forever. I was almost 23 weeks pregnant with a set of twins – a son and a daughter that I conceived after four IUI’s and three IVF’s. I went to the hospital because I was not feeling well and my nightmare began. I was told by the doctor that I had an incompetent cervix and I was ten centimeters dialated. The doctor told me I would have to deliver the twins today and they were too young to survive. Twelve hours later, I gave birth to a beautiful baby girl named Kenley and a very handsome son named Chase.
Minutes after they were born, they were welcomed into heaven. I was devastated and in shock. Three days later, I was at their funeral. I knew that day that my life had changed forever. I would never be the same again. I was so lost. I wanted to be a mom so badly and after years and years of infertility treatments, my dream had vanished.
Three months after their death, I woke up one morning and said to myself “I need a change in my life and I need to find some good out of this terrible loss.” That day, I sat down at my computer and started searching. I came across a job opportunity at an egg donation agency. They were seeking a cycle coordinator for their egg donation program. The requirements were a degree in the human service field and personal experience with infertility and IVF. I knew this was the job for me. It was exactly what I was looking for. I applied for the job and was offered the position a few weeks later.
While working at Tiny Treasures, I did three more IVF’s (seven IVF’s total) and suffered a miscarriage. I finally conceived my beautiful miracle baby girl Brooklynn and she just turned three a few weeks ago. I was eventually offered the position of Senior Director of Egg Donation Services which I gladly accepted and I still hold that title today.
At Tiny Treasures, we help parents conceive through the use of a young woman’s egg. This process can be quite emotional and costly for the parents. I find my personal experiences help to make me great at my job. I am able to empathize with my clients and help them navigate through the egg donation process.
As much as I feel my personal experiences help me to be the best at my job, I also find it comforting and healing to be able to share my story with others on a daily basis. I feel my healing process can be attributed to the fact that I get to speak about Chase and Kenley often. They are certainly part of my everyday life. I also feel that I can be a bit of an inspiration to my clients since my infertility journey ended on a happy note. I am able to offer them hope and to “never give up”!!!
I love my job and could never imagine doing anything else. I have helped over 300 clients by giving them the opportunity to try and become parents. I have counseled them, encouraged them and cried with them. Losing Chase and Kenley was heart wrenching but because of them, I am able to help infertile people achieve their dream of becoming parents.
I would give anything for Chase and Kenley to be on this earth with me and their baby sister Brooklynn but sadly, that was not the plan. I find comfort in knowing that they have made me the person I am today and I feel I am a better person, counselor and mother because of them.