Sometimes you hear a story that makes you remember that the world is a really good place filled with really good people, despite what you hear on the news. This is one of them. To help a woman struggling with the costs of infertility treatments, strangers donated their unused IVF medicine after seeing a post on social media, proving that it literally takes a village when it comes to children sometimes.
Laura Brafford posted about her infertility on social media and shared with her family and friends that she and her husband were hustling to cover the costs of the treatment. She got a second gig as a waitress to earn extra money and started a YouCare crowdfunding page, hoping that the people that loved her and her husband would give them a hand.
But then something crazy happened. She met a woman on the Glow period tracker app (shout out to Glow) who was looking to sell her unexpired, unopened leftover Menopur, which costs $85 a bottle for people paying out of pocket. Luckily, Brafford's doctor said that as long as the medicine was unopened and unexpired it was just fine to use. When the package arrived, Brafford posted, as one does, a picture on Instagram thanking the good samaritan, using some IVF hashtags.
Other women started to reach out and at the end of the crazy ride, Brafford ended up with the $3,500 of meds to use for her July cycle.
It's Pretty Amazing To See How It All Came Together
As anyone going through it knows, IVF isn't just insanely expensive, it's also an emotionally trying process. The stress of the financial burden, the hormones, the pain of the injections, and the uncertainty of the outcome can be trying for anyone. Which is why it's so perfect that a tiny little community was able to form around Brafford and each other. At a time like that, it's comforting to know that other people are rooting for you and happy to help in anyway they could. In this case, it was with super valuable medicine.
Brafford told Fit Pregnancy, "It is important for us to feel like we aren’t defined by our struggle, and although it is a community based on that struggle they somehow make you feel a sense of normalcy." She added, "The community is there and the community is strong. If you are going through infertility, there is a community waiting for you with open arms!"
Although Brafford has what she needs for July and is hoping for the best, she said that she's met other women still looking to donate their unused Menopur. Whether it's Brafford or someone else who gets connected to the donors, the unexpired, perfectly good medicine will get used eventually. Just knowing that there are women out there doing whatever they can to help each other realize their pregnancy dreams, though, is enough.
