Infertility Survivors Finally Heard
Seasons of Change. It’s fast approaching that time of year when I bid farewell to one age and greet another. As of June 12, I’ll formally turn (gasp) 48. I know, right? How did this happen? Ah well, it certainly beats the alternative. I’ve been trying my new age on for size the past couple…
Fifteen years ago this weekend I packed up all my belongings, waved goodbye to Michigan and the life I knew, and headed west to San Jose, California. I was truly a stranger in a strange new land. I knew two people in the Bay area: my brother who lived an hour north in the East…
Courage is from the Latin word, cor, meaning heart — the original definition was to tell the story of who you are with your whole heart. * It takes great effort to be courageous in the face of infertility. This is just one of many thoughts that provoked new insights this week. The insights first…
Quiet time ended when the doorbell rang at 7:30 pm. On the stoop through the glass door I could see the outline of our neighbor’s son, a five-year-old, standing at attention. The little guy stops by from time to time mostly just to say, ‘hi.’ Tonight though he eagerly held something brand new to show:…
A woman who didn’t succeed with infertility treatment stands on stage in front of some 350+ people, many of whom were representatives of the infertility industry (very off putting to see so many reps from pharmaceutical companies and clinic staff) to receive an award for her infertility memoir. How to describe the experience September 28,…
I’m a bit jet lagged after flying across the United States. The travel part was easy. Now the challenge lies in what to say in my acceptance speech at the RESOLVE Night of Hope event on Tuesday evening. I’m allowed one minute and thirty seconds. That’s not much time to thank the international community of…
The past week or so I’ve sensed a certain je ne sais quoi. On a personal note, I have been feeling life, identity, belonging in a way that seems natural, nothing forced, no pretending. You could say I’ve been getting a new groove on. It occurred to me that I’ve been so immersed in my…
It was mid-afternoon in the Sierra Nevada Mountains when the email arrived. Three loads of laundry had been folded and tucked back into their rightful place. The kitchen floor glistened, still fresh from a serious mopping with Murphy’s Oil Soap. Digital images stored in my computer held joy and wonder from a long holiday weekend…
The latest contributor to our Tapestry of Voices is Lisa Manterfield, a Southern California-based writer. After making the decision to live child-free, she founded the online community, Life Without Baby, for women who do not have children, whether by chance, choice or circumstance. Her piece, below, first ran last month in the Los Angeles Times. I was five…
Editor’s Note: In the early weeks and months after stopping infertility treatments I craved access to happy and fulfilled women who had managed to survive the infertility experience. I needed to hear from someone who could tell me that everything would be okay, someone with the wisdom and experience to know what I had lived…