Growing Our Family After Miscarriage and Cancer
Dear friends and family,
Our journey to becoming parents has not been an easy one, but there is a bright light beaming at the end of this dark tunnel. We began trying to grow our family shortly after getting married in the spring of 2015. Unfortunately, we suffered five devastating miscarriages in just two years' time. After our fifth loss at 12 weeks in November of 2017, we decided to take a break to honor and process our grief.
Two months later, I found a lump in my left breast. I was diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer a week later, and my dreams of motherhood were effectively shattered—at least for the time being. I am now coming up on three years (!) since my breast cancer diagnosis and although I am in otherwise good health, my long-term cancer treatment prevents me from safely carrying a pregnancy. This has been a sharp pill to swallow—and a big lesson in surrender, patience, and trust.
After enduring unfathomable obstacles together throughout the past five years, we are SO excited to announce that we are embarking on our surrogacy journey! The Cyan Gray Hope Foundation and Genesis Surrogacy Group have teamed up to provide us with some donated services and a grant to help us offset the cost of this expensive journey. We have matched with a wonderful woman who has been medically cleared and approved to be our surrogate, and we are thrilled to begin this journey with her. We are blessed to have seven embryos that were frozen before I began chemotherapy, and although we are keeping our fingers crossed that all goes well on the first embryo transfer (which will be scheduled for early 2021), we will have three chances to try with our amazing surrogate.
We are looking to raise $30,000 in the next 30 days to make our dreams a reality. All funds raised will go directly toward our family-building process. We also intend to pay it forward through this fundraiser effort—anything raised above $30,000 will go to the next grant recipient(s) of The Cyan Gray Hope Foundation, who will be selected in 2021!
We are so full of gratitude for the community that has shown up for us, and we look forward to sharing this journey with you. Donate, share, and follow our journey here and on Instagram at @drawnbymary and @lovealwaysmomthemovie
Thank you for your support!
With love and gratitude,
Mary and DeAndre
About The Cyan Gray Hope Foundation: Our mission is to create film and digital media content to educate and support cancer survivors, the fertility-challenged, and those at risk, as well as provide social support online and in-person in Los Angeles. Our first feature documentary, LOVE ALWAYS, MOM will start a dialogue about cancer and infertility, building a support network for women so we don't have to go it alone. Proceeds from the ultimate sale of the film will go towards research for metastatic breast cancer.
Our journey to becoming parents has not been an easy one, but there is a bright light beaming at the end of this dark tunnel. We began trying to grow our family shortly after getting married in the spring of 2015. Unfortunately, we suffered five devastating miscarriages in just two years' time. After our fifth loss at 12 weeks in November of 2017, we decided to take a break to honor and process our grief.
Two months later, I found a lump in my left breast. I was diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer a week later, and my dreams of motherhood were effectively shattered—at least for the time being. I am now coming up on three years (!) since my breast cancer diagnosis and although I am in otherwise good health, my long-term cancer treatment prevents me from safely carrying a pregnancy. This has been a sharp pill to swallow—and a big lesson in surrender, patience, and trust.
After enduring unfathomable obstacles together throughout the past five years, we are SO excited to announce that we are embarking on our surrogacy journey! The Cyan Gray Hope Foundation and Genesis Surrogacy Group have teamed up to provide us with some donated services and a grant to help us offset the cost of this expensive journey. We have matched with a wonderful woman who has been medically cleared and approved to be our surrogate, and we are thrilled to begin this journey with her. We are blessed to have seven embryos that were frozen before I began chemotherapy, and although we are keeping our fingers crossed that all goes well on the first embryo transfer (which will be scheduled for early 2021), we will have three chances to try with our amazing surrogate.
We are looking to raise $30,000 in the next 30 days to make our dreams a reality. All funds raised will go directly toward our family-building process. We also intend to pay it forward through this fundraiser effort—anything raised above $30,000 will go to the next grant recipient(s) of The Cyan Gray Hope Foundation, who will be selected in 2021!
We are so full of gratitude for the community that has shown up for us, and we look forward to sharing this journey with you. Donate, share, and follow our journey here and on Instagram at @drawnbymary and @lovealwaysmomthemovie
Thank you for your support!
With love and gratitude,
Mary and DeAndre
About The Cyan Gray Hope Foundation: Our mission is to create film and digital media content to educate and support cancer survivors, the fertility-challenged, and those at risk, as well as provide social support online and in-person in Los Angeles. Our first feature documentary, LOVE ALWAYS, MOM will start a dialogue about cancer and infertility, building a support network for women so we don't have to go it alone. Proceeds from the ultimate sale of the film will go towards research for metastatic breast cancer.
Co-organizers (2)
Mary Purdie
Organizer
Glendale, CA
The Cyan Gray Hope Foundation
Beneficiary
Trish Russo
Co-organizer