Calyn & Tyler’s IVF Fund

Hello. Calyn and I (Tyler) are the Chases. May 2023 will mark our 5th wedding anniversary, and 4 years of trying to grow our family. We’ve set up this GoFundMe page to ask for your help in reaching our dream of having a baby.

About Us:

Calyn (31) works as a Physical Therapy Assistant at a skilled nursing facility. She grew up with seven siblings and has long dreamed of raising a large family of her own. She often spends her free time crocheting, gardening, and hiking.

I (29) work as a Radiologic Technologist at a local hospital. I grew up with 5 siblings and have always wanted to be a father. In my free time I like to garden, cook, and do home improvement projects.

We bought a home together in February, 2022, where we live with our two dogs, Reuben and Parker. We live near Calyn’s parents’ farm where we spend a lot of time helping care for the gardens, bees, fowl, livestock, rabbits, dogs, and her family. We want to bring a child of our own into this beautiful, love-filled chaos.

Our Situation:

In 2020, after trying to conceive naturally for more than two years, we had our first appointment with a local OBGYN for an infertility consultation. The doctor told us that we were both young and healthy, so there was no need for intervention. So we tried for a few more months, but it was clear to us that something was wrong. We went back and Calyn underwent a test called an HSG to look for any answers. The test showed that both of Calyn’s fallopian tubes were blocked, and she would need surgery in order for us to conceive naturally.

Surgery and Diagnosis

After days of researching surgeons we found a highly experienced reproductive surgery specialist. In March, 2021 Calyn went in to have her fallopian tubes surgically opened. The surgeon wasn’t able to complete the surgery due to the discovery of extensive endometriosis.

So, Calyn was referred to a surgeon who specializes in endometriosis excision. She was diagnosed with stage four endometriosis, an endometrioma in her right ovary, kissing ovaries, and a frozen pelvis which would require a second, more extensive surgery. In the words of the doctor, Calyn had a “hostile uterus”. Now, surgery wasn’t only necessary for our ability to have a baby, it was necessary for Calyn’s health.

Calyn had her second surgery in July, 2021. The surgeon removed the cyst on her ovary, excised most of her endometriosis, and detached scar tissue that was adhering her organs together. Afterward, he told us that because of the damage caused by the endometriosis, we would never conceive without IVF.

We were devastated. Our shared dream of getting married, buying a house close to family, and raising children of our own was stalled. Neither of us imagined that we would not be able to conceive naturally, and we began doing the emotional work to decide if we ever wanted to go through IVF.

It took us a year to come to a decision. A year of researching doctors, of reading blogs and scientific journals, of discussing our morals and beliefs. A year of researching loans and payment options, as IVF is not covered by insurance. Finally, in July, 2022, we had our first IVF consultation with a specialist. And thus, our IVF journey began.

The First Round of IVF

The first step was a series of injections to stimulate Calyn’s ovaries. When the doctor determined Calyn’s ovaries were ready, she went in for the follicle extraction. They retrieved eight follicles. Of the eight follicles, three began to grow once fertilized. The final call we got told us that only one embryo grew to the maturity needed for transplantation.

One embryo was a statistically low number and it certainly was fewer than we hoped for. It was hard to hear, but we knew that if we were able to have even one child from this process we would feel beyond blessed. So, our one chance was frozen in a lab and we started the regimen of injections and medications to prepare Calyn’s body for implantation. On November 10th, 2022 we crossed our fingers as the embryo was implanted in her uterus. Then we waited anxiously for two weeks.

Conception!

At the two-week mark we went back in for bloodwork. The wait for the results was the longest few hours of this entire process. I will never forget the sound of the nurse’s voice saying, “Congratulations!”. We were pregnant! We had never gotten this far in our pregnancy journey and we were both ecstatic.

I continued injecting Calyn daily. After 6 weeks, her injection sites were now incredibly painful, but she was a trooper. All of our lab work continued to be perfect, so we scheduled our first ultrasound at seven weeks. That meant two more weeks of waiting, injections, supplements, and limited lifting (hard to do when you’re a Physical Therapy Assistant). Two more weeks of nausea and anxiety. And two more weeks of hoping.

The Most Beautiful Heartbeat

At our first ultrasound we got to see the fetus’ heartbeat! It was strong and absolutely perfect. At that moment, our pregnancy became real for us. It was no longer phone calls from nurses or little blue lines on a plastic stick. After three and a half years of trying, we were finally pregnant!

Our celebration was tainted by one small detail. The tech performing the ultrasound measured the fetus as a bit small. They told us not to worry and to stay hopeful. The size was very nearly within the margin of error, and Calyn’s tilted uterus can make it harder to measure accurately. The fetus had a strong heartbeat and great lab work, so we scheduled another ultrasound for the following week in the hope that the fetus would measure bigger.

Devastation

On December 22nd, eight weeks and five days into our pregnancy, we went in for our second ultrasound. We held hands and looked at the monitor, waiting to see that tiny heartbeat again. But we didn’t get to see it. The fetus no longer had a heartbeat, and we were sent home with miscarriage instructions. In seconds we had our joy, our luck stolen from us. We had lost our only chance. Our only embryo had miscarried.

Now, less than a week later, Calyn has gone through the miscarriage process. We have celebrated Christmas as best we could. And now we have a decision to make. We can either give up on our dream of Calyn carrying and birthing our child(ren), or we can attempt another round of IVF.

IVF Round Two (Where YOU Come In)

Our IVF specialist is confident that another round will result in more viable embryos to freeze. They have seen how Calyn’s body reacted to the injections and can adjust appropriately. With this in mind, we want to try One More Time.

Our biggest obstacle is the cost. We funded our first round of IVF with the last of our savings and a high interest medical loan. It was more than worth it to have the opportunity, but we simply cannot afford it again. We will be funding our second round in a variety of ways, and are hoping to cover just some of the $23,000 cost with your help.

We are desperate to try again and we are humbly asking for any help you can give.

Thank you so much for reading through our story, for donating, and for sharing our story with others who may want to help.