Garrett & Katelyn's IVF Journey #MakingBabySisk
Donation protected
[ABOUT US]
Hi everyone! We are Garrett and Katelyn Sisk. Our story began 7 years ago when we first met online of all places. In 2015, Garrett proposed on a private, romantic sailboat ride and I of course said yes! I stole him away to Pennsylvania, where I was born and raised, but somehow, we found our way back to the South. We have both always known we wanted children and decided we were ready to start that new chapter of our lives. We of course were naïve, like many are at first, and thought we would get pregnant right away but that doesn’t happen for everyone. One in eight couples have trouble getting pregnant.
[WHAT HAPPENED]
After two years of trying, including one year of fertility treatments (pills, shots, blood tests, ultrasounds, etc.), and no luck we have been recommended by our Reproductive Endocrinologist to pursue in vitro fertilization (IVF) as soon as possible. I have been diagnosed with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome. PCOS affects 7–10% of women of childbearing age and is the most common cause of infertility. In the United States, an estimated 5 to 6 million women have PCOS. PCOS is the most common hormonal disorder among women of reproductive age, but many women don’t know they have it.
Basically, for me personally, my follicles have trouble maturing and therefore cannot ovulate on their own. Many people with an ovulation disorder can be forced to ovulate and can get pregnant with medicine. Unfortunately, this hasn’t worked for me. No ovulation = No chance of pregnancy.
[WHY THIS IS IMPORTANT]
Up until now we have chosen to keep it to ourselves and battle infertility alone, like most do, but it turns out we need our village. IVF is our final step. It is hard emotionally, physically, financially, and we can’t do it alone. IVF is expensive, and we don’t think other couples going through it ask for help enough. Maybe because they don’t feel like it’s okay to ask for help. Maybe because infertility is hard to talk about, and money is even harder. Maybe it’s because of pride and shame. Even though it’s uncomfortable to be vulnerable, it is important. It’s a gateway to understanding. It cultivates compassion, opens hearts, and is a precursor to love.
Despite it feeling uncomfortable for us to extend our hands out for help, Garrett and I are going to embrace it. We are going to be vulnerable and voice our needs to you, our community. Meg Cabot once said, “Sometimes in life, you can fall down holes you can’t climb out of by yourself. That’s what friends and family are for – to help. They can’t help, however, unless you let them know you’re down there.”
By choosing to support us, you’re saying, “I see you down in that hole, and I choose to help.” You’re saying yes to a more vulnerable, more compassionate world. You’re saying yes to a world where asking for help is met with warmth and generosity. You’re saying yes to a world where people don’t feel like they have to go at it alone.
[HOW THE MONEY WILL BE SPENT]
All generous donations will be used to fund the medical costs attributed to the IVF process, which is not covered by insurance:
§ Stimulation injections
§ Egg retrieval surgery and anesthesia
§ Fertilization and embryo culture
§ Genetic testing
§ Cryopreservation
§ Frozen embryo transfer
All of our fees need to be paid upfront before we can even get on the schedule to start the IVF process.
[WE ARE SO GRATEFUL]
To show you our gratitude for your generosity, we are going to include you in something tangible for your contribution (we think this part is really exciting)! If you donate any amount at all, your name will go on the back of a puzzle piece. We will be making this puzzle for our future baby(ies) and it will live on the wall of their nursery to remember all of the people who helped make their life possible.
[WHAT YOU CAN DO]
DONATE! Contribute to our GoFundMe campaign if you can! Any amount is greatly appreciated and will directly go towards our journey to #MakingBabySisk. If you’d rather donate directly, you can do so through Venmo @KatelynMSisk (3001 = last 4 of phone number)
SHARE IT! If you feel like our cause is worthy of sharing, we would be so appreciative if you would share this post with your family and friends. To share our GoFundMe page, hit the "share" button at the bottom of the page.
COMMENT! Show some love and leave us a comment.
(BONUS!) You can also join our group on Facebook if you want to follow along with our entire IVF journey (HERE). Please feel free to add your friends to this group if you know of someone who could use encouragement or just needs to watch someone else navigate their fertility journey. We are here to hopefully help someone else see that they are not alone in their fight to grow their family.
If you are unfamiliar with the IVF process altogether, please click HERE for more info from our fertility center.
Hi everyone! We are Garrett and Katelyn Sisk. Our story began 7 years ago when we first met online of all places. In 2015, Garrett proposed on a private, romantic sailboat ride and I of course said yes! I stole him away to Pennsylvania, where I was born and raised, but somehow, we found our way back to the South. We have both always known we wanted children and decided we were ready to start that new chapter of our lives. We of course were naïve, like many are at first, and thought we would get pregnant right away but that doesn’t happen for everyone. One in eight couples have trouble getting pregnant.
[WHAT HAPPENED]
After two years of trying, including one year of fertility treatments (pills, shots, blood tests, ultrasounds, etc.), and no luck we have been recommended by our Reproductive Endocrinologist to pursue in vitro fertilization (IVF) as soon as possible. I have been diagnosed with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome. PCOS affects 7–10% of women of childbearing age and is the most common cause of infertility. In the United States, an estimated 5 to 6 million women have PCOS. PCOS is the most common hormonal disorder among women of reproductive age, but many women don’t know they have it.
Basically, for me personally, my follicles have trouble maturing and therefore cannot ovulate on their own. Many people with an ovulation disorder can be forced to ovulate and can get pregnant with medicine. Unfortunately, this hasn’t worked for me. No ovulation = No chance of pregnancy.
[WHY THIS IS IMPORTANT]
Up until now we have chosen to keep it to ourselves and battle infertility alone, like most do, but it turns out we need our village. IVF is our final step. It is hard emotionally, physically, financially, and we can’t do it alone. IVF is expensive, and we don’t think other couples going through it ask for help enough. Maybe because they don’t feel like it’s okay to ask for help. Maybe because infertility is hard to talk about, and money is even harder. Maybe it’s because of pride and shame. Even though it’s uncomfortable to be vulnerable, it is important. It’s a gateway to understanding. It cultivates compassion, opens hearts, and is a precursor to love.
Despite it feeling uncomfortable for us to extend our hands out for help, Garrett and I are going to embrace it. We are going to be vulnerable and voice our needs to you, our community. Meg Cabot once said, “Sometimes in life, you can fall down holes you can’t climb out of by yourself. That’s what friends and family are for – to help. They can’t help, however, unless you let them know you’re down there.”
By choosing to support us, you’re saying, “I see you down in that hole, and I choose to help.” You’re saying yes to a more vulnerable, more compassionate world. You’re saying yes to a world where asking for help is met with warmth and generosity. You’re saying yes to a world where people don’t feel like they have to go at it alone.
[HOW THE MONEY WILL BE SPENT]
All generous donations will be used to fund the medical costs attributed to the IVF process, which is not covered by insurance:
§ Stimulation injections
§ Egg retrieval surgery and anesthesia
§ Fertilization and embryo culture
§ Genetic testing
§ Cryopreservation
§ Frozen embryo transfer
All of our fees need to be paid upfront before we can even get on the schedule to start the IVF process.
[WE ARE SO GRATEFUL]
To show you our gratitude for your generosity, we are going to include you in something tangible for your contribution (we think this part is really exciting)! If you donate any amount at all, your name will go on the back of a puzzle piece. We will be making this puzzle for our future baby(ies) and it will live on the wall of their nursery to remember all of the people who helped make their life possible.
[WHAT YOU CAN DO]
DONATE! Contribute to our GoFundMe campaign if you can! Any amount is greatly appreciated and will directly go towards our journey to #MakingBabySisk. If you’d rather donate directly, you can do so through Venmo @KatelynMSisk (3001 = last 4 of phone number)
SHARE IT! If you feel like our cause is worthy of sharing, we would be so appreciative if you would share this post with your family and friends. To share our GoFundMe page, hit the "share" button at the bottom of the page.
COMMENT! Show some love and leave us a comment.
(BONUS!) You can also join our group on Facebook if you want to follow along with our entire IVF journey (HERE). Please feel free to add your friends to this group if you know of someone who could use encouragement or just needs to watch someone else navigate their fertility journey. We are here to hopefully help someone else see that they are not alone in their fight to grow their family.
If you are unfamiliar with the IVF process altogether, please click HERE for more info from our fertility center.
Fundraising team (2)
Katelyn Sisk
Organizer
Mobile, AL
Garrett Sisk
Team member