Help Alicia and Bryan Grow Their Family
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Take a moment of your day to read a remarkable story about a couple fighting to start their family. Please consider joining us to help them.
A little about Alicia – Alicia is the youngest of 5 children and grew up in a small town in Ohio. She attended Brigham Young University. After graduation, she lived and worked in New York City and Myrtle Beach before returning to Ohio to be closer to family. Alicia is an avid reader, loves doing anything crafty, enjoys spending time with her family, and loves to watch sports and Hallmark movies. She has 15 nieces and nephews and loves to spoil them as much as she can. Although she doesn’t live as close to them all as she’d like, being an Aunt is one of the things in her life that brings her the most joy. Most people who know her, know all about every single one of those 15 special kids. Alicia would be best described as someone who is nurturing and filled with empathy for those around her. I cannot tell you how many people have told me that Alicia has made them feel loved and at peace when no one else could. From about 14 years old when her first nephew was born, everyone who see’s Alicia interact with children says, “She is going to be the best mother.”
A little about Bryan – Bryan is the youngest of 3 children and also grew up in a small town in Ohio. He attended Ohio University and found his way to Texas to work after graduation. Bryan returned to Ohio to be closer to family just in the knick of time to connect with Alicia. The two fell in love, and while Bryan took longer to propose than Alicia (or her family haha) would have liked, the two were married in September 2015; both agree it was the best day of their life. Bryan is an Engineer, loves vintage cars, and enjoys working out and learning how to do new things. Bryan is extremely handy and most recently built a deck for their home and rebuilt a shed for his in-laws. Most would describe Bryan as an extremely selfless, patient, and hard working man, and he is known for always making those around him laugh. Luckily, Bryan doesn’t mind that Alicia comes from a football coaching family because he equally enjoys watching football on most fall Saturdays. Bryan helped his mother babysit growing up, so volunteering in the nursery at their church with Alicia and adding 11 more nieces and nephews to his life when he married Alicia has been a natural fit for which he is grateful.
As a couple, Bryan and Alicia have worked diligently to have a Christ-centered home filled with love, laughter, patience, compassion, and respect.
The News that Changed Their Life – Alicia was diagnosed in her mid 20s with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, and while the doctor mentioned the possibility of infertility, she had no idea of the pain and heartache that infertility would bring to her life. After a few years of being married and not conceiving a child, her doctors made it more and more clear that in order to have a chance at a pregnancy, she would need to try in vitro fertilization (IVF).
The IVF process in itself is expensive as well as extremely physically and emotionally grueling. Despite it all, Alicia tried to stay positive. She saw each needle prick, blood draw, invasive procedure, and nauseous evening as such a small sacrifice to have the one gift she’d always wanted – a child and her very own eternal family. After an egg retrieval and failed implant attempts, Bryan and Alicia were left with three remaining viable embryos.
In June of 2020 they decided to attempt another implant. Despite many injections and high-dosage hormones for several weeks, Alicia’s progesterone levels remained elevated and, as such, her doctor would not move forward. The doctor was unsure why the progesterone levels remained elevated, but suggested that perhaps a cyst on her left ovary was the culprit. He recommended she have surgery to remove the cyst. As it turned out, a faulty lab was to blame for the elevated progesterone levels. When tested at two other facilities, the progesterone level was just as it should be. Nevertheless, the doctor still felt the cyst should be removed in order to provide the best possible chance for a successful implant. The failed implant attempts were dark days filled with sadness, but the news of needing another expensive surgery outside of the IVF journey felt like such a cruel, frustrating roadblock.
Alicia persisted.
In July 2020, Alicia had a robotic cyst removal. The surgery was intended to take 1-2 hours, but took over 4. The cyst was successfully removed, but it was discovered that endometriosis had destroyed her left fallopian tube and much of her left ovary. In the process of removing the endometriosis as best as the surgeon could, her left ureter was nicked, causing a need for an urologist to check to be sure there wasn’t major damage. The additional factors of the surgery caused recovery to be more painful than initially anticipated, but Bryan took good care of her and she was determined to heal to move forward with her embryo implant process.
Alicia persisted.
After a few weeks, bloodwork showed that her progesterone was perfect. At her two-week post-op surgery appointment, the surgeon approved Alicia to move forward with an implant cycle, but mentioned that the urologist was still requesting a CT scan to be absolutely certain that there was no damage to the ureter. Having another scan seemed unnecessary as her bladder function was fine, but Alicia scheduled the CT scan. During the time before her scan, Alicia started her estrogen treatments for her implant cycle. Within 10 short days, she would have an implant, and she maintained strong faith that it would lead to a pregnancy. Everyone agreed that after all she had been through with the faulty lab and unexpectedly complicated surgery, she was due for a great blessing. Alicia went for her routine CT scan and a few days later, on a Saturday, the CT scan report appeared in Alicia’s online medical chart.
Everything changed.
While the scan was of the bladder and ureter, multiple other organs were scanned. In the report, it stated that there was an appearance of over 20 tumors in Alicia’s liver and that the appearance was “worrisome for extensive hepatic metastatic disease,” which is medical terminology for secondary cancer. A quick Google search showed that fatality rates were quite high (89% within 5 years) with such a diagnosis. Alicia had absolutely no symptoms and was utterly shocked. She, Bryan, and her mom had a tear filled weekend.
Alicia persisted.
By Monday morning at 9 am, Alicia was on the phone with the nurse of a liver tumor specialty group. The nurse, a true angel, was quick to setup an MRI and bloodwork appointment for Alicia within the week. The 3 days before the appointment passed slowly. As Alicia walked back with the friendly MRI technician, he joked with her about what the MRI would be like, “a sardine can with a jackhammer noise outside of it”. He was a happy, jovial guy, which is exactly why Alicia knew the news was not good when he somberly told her over the MRI intercom that it would be longer in the MRI machine than expected because of what had been found in the initial images. The day progressively got worse.
The doctor informed Alicia and Bryan that there were in fact over 20 tumors in Alicia’s liver. One was close to 6 cm large, 2 were closer to 3 cm large, and the others were smaller at under 3 cm. In a glimmer of good news, most cancer markers in her bloodwork were low, but the only way to rule out cancer with 100% certainty was to do a biopsy of the largest tumor. He also cautioned Alicia and Bryan that tumors in the liver over 5 cm were extremely dangerous because of their increased likelihood to rupture, which could cause fatal internal bleeding. As such, she would need to have the largest tumor removed as quickly as his surgical schedule allowed on a date after the biopsy was completed. At the end of the appointment, the doctor pushed and pushed on Alicia’s abdomen in the area closest to the upper left lobe of her liver where the largest tumor resided. He was absolutely baffled that Alicia had no pain or symptoms. She and Bryan shared his dismay.
He also explained that the biopsy would bring confirmation, but based on the MRI, he and his team believed the tumors were hepatic adenomas. Hepatic adenomas occur in only 2 of 100,000 women. They occur when extremely rare genetic disposition meet high dosages of estrogen and hormone treatments. Her IVF journey did not lead her to the child she always dreamed of; it led her to growing vicious, potentially lethal tumors. Because of this, the course of action in such a patient would be to immediately terminate any and all hormone treatments. Any pregnancy would be extremely high risk to both the child and the mother, primarily because even the hormones of a pregnancy would cause the tumors to grow and rupture. The doctor repeated multiple times that she and Bryan needed to understand the seriousness of the diagnosis. How could they not?
Alicia and Bryan were devastated. Not only was Alicia in extreme danger with two immanent procedures ahead, but their dream of Alicia carrying and bearing their children was destroyed in one 30-minute office visit.
Alicia persisted.
The biopsy was actually quite scary and painful. Because the tumor was located behind the diaphragm, Alicia not only had to be awake for the procedure, but she had to hold her breath on command for the doctor to be able to forcefully insert the needle at the precise moment the tumor was visible via ultrasound. To calm her fears, the nurses told her that it wouldn’t be painful, but rather she would just feel a little “pressure”. That was not the case. While three samples were taken, with Alicia holding her breath for each insertion, tears streamed down her face. The pain was strong. Her fear was stronger.
Regardless, Alicia persisted.
The liver resection surgery was scheduled for only 8 days after the biopsy. Three days prior to surgery, she was required to have a COVID-19 test. As the nurse was preparing the test, she asked Alicia why the test was required. When she told the nurse it was because she was having a tumor removed from her liver, the nurse stood still in shock, “But you’re so… young.” Alicia thought about that. She was young. She had no symptoms. How on earth was this happening to her? The nurse smiled and rubbed Alicia’s shoulder, “I will pray for you,” she said. The look of worry in her eyes confirmed what Alicia knew. This surgery was major. The path ahead was uphill. It wasn’t just her dream of carrying a child that was over; her life could be over. Alicia watched as those around her were crying in response to the invasive test, but she didn’t even flinch. Bryan was surprised when she returned to the car unfazed. She told him she had a new understanding of pain after the biopsy. Despite it all, Bryan marveled that Alicia was growing stronger and more resilient.
She was scheduled to be the first surgery of the day. For a major surgery where hospitalization is required, there is always a long list of risks. Because the liver is the second largest bleeding organ, doctors had prepared her for the seriousness of the operation. To showcase just the kind of person she is, during the days leading up to surgery, Alicia ordered and wrapped Christmas and birthday gifts for all of her nieces and nephews. Her two main concerns were Bryan being okay on his own if she was gone and for her nieces and nephews to know she loved them. She cried a lot and prayed even more. As she left Bryan before surgery, she squeezed him tightly, reminded him where the gifts were, and thanked him for being the greatest blessing in her life. Bryan fought back tears and told Alicia everything was going to be okay, a promise he wasn’t so sure of, but stated confidently nonetheless.
In a best case scenario, liver resection surgery is done by having several incisions on the abdomen to cut the tumor and one large incision at the bottom of the abdomen to remove the tumor. Worst case would be to have to fully open the patient to accomplish the same task. Either way, recovery time is deemed to be at least 6-8 weeks. The surgery was long. Alicia went under about 9 am and her first memory was at 5:05 pm. Alicia remained in the hospital for 4 days. If she thought the previous cyst removal or biopsy surgeries had been painful, she had no idea what she was in for. For the first few weeks, Alicia could not get out of bed without help and had to use a walker to walk. Even then, her steps were limited. The pain was severe to the point that at times she thought she would pass out, but yet – she has persisted. Her biopsy confirmed the tumors are benign and with no hormone treatments, the other tumors should begin to shrink and hopefully will disappear. And while that is such great news deserving of bright rejoicing, the reality that she and Bryan are left with, dims that light.
While Alicia is unable to carry and bear her own children, as her family who love her dearly, we cannot allow her to give up on her dream of having a family. We want to help! Between IVF, her cyst removal surgery, her biopsy, and liver resection surgery, it’s been an extremely financially stressful time. Our hope is that through this GoFundMe, enough funds can be raised to help support the legal and additional adoption costs for Alicia and Bryan, who are currently beginning the process to become Adoption Certified. Anything you donate will be more helpful than you know. If you or anyone you know happens to be expecting and looking for an adoptive parent, please prayerfully consider our precious Alicia and Bryan. Donations can also be made directly to their Venmo Account: AliciaandBryan.
Additionally – we continue to pray for other avenues to still open for Alicia’s remaining embryos. If you or anyone you know is interested in being a surrogate, please contact us through this page.
Alicia has persisted through so much. Let us persist on her behalf! Please share this link with those you know.
Thank you so much for reading about Alicia and Bryan. Join us as we work to bring a miracle to their lives.
A little about Alicia – Alicia is the youngest of 5 children and grew up in a small town in Ohio. She attended Brigham Young University. After graduation, she lived and worked in New York City and Myrtle Beach before returning to Ohio to be closer to family. Alicia is an avid reader, loves doing anything crafty, enjoys spending time with her family, and loves to watch sports and Hallmark movies. She has 15 nieces and nephews and loves to spoil them as much as she can. Although she doesn’t live as close to them all as she’d like, being an Aunt is one of the things in her life that brings her the most joy. Most people who know her, know all about every single one of those 15 special kids. Alicia would be best described as someone who is nurturing and filled with empathy for those around her. I cannot tell you how many people have told me that Alicia has made them feel loved and at peace when no one else could. From about 14 years old when her first nephew was born, everyone who see’s Alicia interact with children says, “She is going to be the best mother.”
A little about Bryan – Bryan is the youngest of 3 children and also grew up in a small town in Ohio. He attended Ohio University and found his way to Texas to work after graduation. Bryan returned to Ohio to be closer to family just in the knick of time to connect with Alicia. The two fell in love, and while Bryan took longer to propose than Alicia (or her family haha) would have liked, the two were married in September 2015; both agree it was the best day of their life. Bryan is an Engineer, loves vintage cars, and enjoys working out and learning how to do new things. Bryan is extremely handy and most recently built a deck for their home and rebuilt a shed for his in-laws. Most would describe Bryan as an extremely selfless, patient, and hard working man, and he is known for always making those around him laugh. Luckily, Bryan doesn’t mind that Alicia comes from a football coaching family because he equally enjoys watching football on most fall Saturdays. Bryan helped his mother babysit growing up, so volunteering in the nursery at their church with Alicia and adding 11 more nieces and nephews to his life when he married Alicia has been a natural fit for which he is grateful.
As a couple, Bryan and Alicia have worked diligently to have a Christ-centered home filled with love, laughter, patience, compassion, and respect.
The News that Changed Their Life – Alicia was diagnosed in her mid 20s with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, and while the doctor mentioned the possibility of infertility, she had no idea of the pain and heartache that infertility would bring to her life. After a few years of being married and not conceiving a child, her doctors made it more and more clear that in order to have a chance at a pregnancy, she would need to try in vitro fertilization (IVF).
The IVF process in itself is expensive as well as extremely physically and emotionally grueling. Despite it all, Alicia tried to stay positive. She saw each needle prick, blood draw, invasive procedure, and nauseous evening as such a small sacrifice to have the one gift she’d always wanted – a child and her very own eternal family. After an egg retrieval and failed implant attempts, Bryan and Alicia were left with three remaining viable embryos.
In June of 2020 they decided to attempt another implant. Despite many injections and high-dosage hormones for several weeks, Alicia’s progesterone levels remained elevated and, as such, her doctor would not move forward. The doctor was unsure why the progesterone levels remained elevated, but suggested that perhaps a cyst on her left ovary was the culprit. He recommended she have surgery to remove the cyst. As it turned out, a faulty lab was to blame for the elevated progesterone levels. When tested at two other facilities, the progesterone level was just as it should be. Nevertheless, the doctor still felt the cyst should be removed in order to provide the best possible chance for a successful implant. The failed implant attempts were dark days filled with sadness, but the news of needing another expensive surgery outside of the IVF journey felt like such a cruel, frustrating roadblock.
Alicia persisted.
In July 2020, Alicia had a robotic cyst removal. The surgery was intended to take 1-2 hours, but took over 4. The cyst was successfully removed, but it was discovered that endometriosis had destroyed her left fallopian tube and much of her left ovary. In the process of removing the endometriosis as best as the surgeon could, her left ureter was nicked, causing a need for an urologist to check to be sure there wasn’t major damage. The additional factors of the surgery caused recovery to be more painful than initially anticipated, but Bryan took good care of her and she was determined to heal to move forward with her embryo implant process.
Alicia persisted.
After a few weeks, bloodwork showed that her progesterone was perfect. At her two-week post-op surgery appointment, the surgeon approved Alicia to move forward with an implant cycle, but mentioned that the urologist was still requesting a CT scan to be absolutely certain that there was no damage to the ureter. Having another scan seemed unnecessary as her bladder function was fine, but Alicia scheduled the CT scan. During the time before her scan, Alicia started her estrogen treatments for her implant cycle. Within 10 short days, she would have an implant, and she maintained strong faith that it would lead to a pregnancy. Everyone agreed that after all she had been through with the faulty lab and unexpectedly complicated surgery, she was due for a great blessing. Alicia went for her routine CT scan and a few days later, on a Saturday, the CT scan report appeared in Alicia’s online medical chart.
Everything changed.
While the scan was of the bladder and ureter, multiple other organs were scanned. In the report, it stated that there was an appearance of over 20 tumors in Alicia’s liver and that the appearance was “worrisome for extensive hepatic metastatic disease,” which is medical terminology for secondary cancer. A quick Google search showed that fatality rates were quite high (89% within 5 years) with such a diagnosis. Alicia had absolutely no symptoms and was utterly shocked. She, Bryan, and her mom had a tear filled weekend.
Alicia persisted.
By Monday morning at 9 am, Alicia was on the phone with the nurse of a liver tumor specialty group. The nurse, a true angel, was quick to setup an MRI and bloodwork appointment for Alicia within the week. The 3 days before the appointment passed slowly. As Alicia walked back with the friendly MRI technician, he joked with her about what the MRI would be like, “a sardine can with a jackhammer noise outside of it”. He was a happy, jovial guy, which is exactly why Alicia knew the news was not good when he somberly told her over the MRI intercom that it would be longer in the MRI machine than expected because of what had been found in the initial images. The day progressively got worse.
The doctor informed Alicia and Bryan that there were in fact over 20 tumors in Alicia’s liver. One was close to 6 cm large, 2 were closer to 3 cm large, and the others were smaller at under 3 cm. In a glimmer of good news, most cancer markers in her bloodwork were low, but the only way to rule out cancer with 100% certainty was to do a biopsy of the largest tumor. He also cautioned Alicia and Bryan that tumors in the liver over 5 cm were extremely dangerous because of their increased likelihood to rupture, which could cause fatal internal bleeding. As such, she would need to have the largest tumor removed as quickly as his surgical schedule allowed on a date after the biopsy was completed. At the end of the appointment, the doctor pushed and pushed on Alicia’s abdomen in the area closest to the upper left lobe of her liver where the largest tumor resided. He was absolutely baffled that Alicia had no pain or symptoms. She and Bryan shared his dismay.
He also explained that the biopsy would bring confirmation, but based on the MRI, he and his team believed the tumors were hepatic adenomas. Hepatic adenomas occur in only 2 of 100,000 women. They occur when extremely rare genetic disposition meet high dosages of estrogen and hormone treatments. Her IVF journey did not lead her to the child she always dreamed of; it led her to growing vicious, potentially lethal tumors. Because of this, the course of action in such a patient would be to immediately terminate any and all hormone treatments. Any pregnancy would be extremely high risk to both the child and the mother, primarily because even the hormones of a pregnancy would cause the tumors to grow and rupture. The doctor repeated multiple times that she and Bryan needed to understand the seriousness of the diagnosis. How could they not?
Alicia and Bryan were devastated. Not only was Alicia in extreme danger with two immanent procedures ahead, but their dream of Alicia carrying and bearing their children was destroyed in one 30-minute office visit.
Alicia persisted.
The biopsy was actually quite scary and painful. Because the tumor was located behind the diaphragm, Alicia not only had to be awake for the procedure, but she had to hold her breath on command for the doctor to be able to forcefully insert the needle at the precise moment the tumor was visible via ultrasound. To calm her fears, the nurses told her that it wouldn’t be painful, but rather she would just feel a little “pressure”. That was not the case. While three samples were taken, with Alicia holding her breath for each insertion, tears streamed down her face. The pain was strong. Her fear was stronger.
Regardless, Alicia persisted.
The liver resection surgery was scheduled for only 8 days after the biopsy. Three days prior to surgery, she was required to have a COVID-19 test. As the nurse was preparing the test, she asked Alicia why the test was required. When she told the nurse it was because she was having a tumor removed from her liver, the nurse stood still in shock, “But you’re so… young.” Alicia thought about that. She was young. She had no symptoms. How on earth was this happening to her? The nurse smiled and rubbed Alicia’s shoulder, “I will pray for you,” she said. The look of worry in her eyes confirmed what Alicia knew. This surgery was major. The path ahead was uphill. It wasn’t just her dream of carrying a child that was over; her life could be over. Alicia watched as those around her were crying in response to the invasive test, but she didn’t even flinch. Bryan was surprised when she returned to the car unfazed. She told him she had a new understanding of pain after the biopsy. Despite it all, Bryan marveled that Alicia was growing stronger and more resilient.
She was scheduled to be the first surgery of the day. For a major surgery where hospitalization is required, there is always a long list of risks. Because the liver is the second largest bleeding organ, doctors had prepared her for the seriousness of the operation. To showcase just the kind of person she is, during the days leading up to surgery, Alicia ordered and wrapped Christmas and birthday gifts for all of her nieces and nephews. Her two main concerns were Bryan being okay on his own if she was gone and for her nieces and nephews to know she loved them. She cried a lot and prayed even more. As she left Bryan before surgery, she squeezed him tightly, reminded him where the gifts were, and thanked him for being the greatest blessing in her life. Bryan fought back tears and told Alicia everything was going to be okay, a promise he wasn’t so sure of, but stated confidently nonetheless.
In a best case scenario, liver resection surgery is done by having several incisions on the abdomen to cut the tumor and one large incision at the bottom of the abdomen to remove the tumor. Worst case would be to have to fully open the patient to accomplish the same task. Either way, recovery time is deemed to be at least 6-8 weeks. The surgery was long. Alicia went under about 9 am and her first memory was at 5:05 pm. Alicia remained in the hospital for 4 days. If she thought the previous cyst removal or biopsy surgeries had been painful, she had no idea what she was in for. For the first few weeks, Alicia could not get out of bed without help and had to use a walker to walk. Even then, her steps were limited. The pain was severe to the point that at times she thought she would pass out, but yet – she has persisted. Her biopsy confirmed the tumors are benign and with no hormone treatments, the other tumors should begin to shrink and hopefully will disappear. And while that is such great news deserving of bright rejoicing, the reality that she and Bryan are left with, dims that light.
While Alicia is unable to carry and bear her own children, as her family who love her dearly, we cannot allow her to give up on her dream of having a family. We want to help! Between IVF, her cyst removal surgery, her biopsy, and liver resection surgery, it’s been an extremely financially stressful time. Our hope is that through this GoFundMe, enough funds can be raised to help support the legal and additional adoption costs for Alicia and Bryan, who are currently beginning the process to become Adoption Certified. Anything you donate will be more helpful than you know. If you or anyone you know happens to be expecting and looking for an adoptive parent, please prayerfully consider our precious Alicia and Bryan. Donations can also be made directly to their Venmo Account: AliciaandBryan.
Additionally – we continue to pray for other avenues to still open for Alicia’s remaining embryos. If you or anyone you know is interested in being a surrogate, please contact us through this page.
Alicia has persisted through so much. Let us persist on her behalf! Please share this link with those you know.
Thank you so much for reading about Alicia and Bryan. Join us as we work to bring a miracle to their lives.
Organizer and beneficiary
Alta Coffman
Organizer
Beverly, OH
Bryan Phelps
Beneficiary