Giving Parental Hope: Raising infertility awareness
Infertility is isolating.
Ken and Becky Budde, of Villa Hills, felt alone in their struggle. They had been trying for three years and still weren’t pregnant.
“It’s painful and frustrating,” Becky Budde said. “It’s a very lonely situation. Even if people are understanding, they don’t understand unless they themselves have been in the trenches of infertility.”
However, the Buddes were not alone in their struggle. According to the most recent National Survey of Family Growth conducted by the Center for Disease Control, one in eight couples have trouble getting pregnant and suffer some form of infertility. About 6.9 million or 11.9 percent of all women receive some form of infertility treatment in their lifetime.
Infertility is defined by RESOLVE: The National Infertility Association as the inability to conceive or carry a pregnancy to term after 12 months of trying to conceive. It's a disease of the reproductive system that impairs the body's ability to perform the basic function of reproduction.
Determined to start a family, the Buddes dipped into their savings and retirement to move forward with expensive in vitro fertilization IVF, a medical procedure whereby an egg is fertilized by sperm in a test tube or elsewhere outside the body. After the fourth try, they were “blessed” with their daughter Lydia, now 18 months and went on to have their now 2-month-old Evelyn.
To have their family was completely an out of pocket expense. Only eight states mandate employers cover the cost of infertility treatment in their health insurance plans and Ohio and Kentucky are not one of those states
And that’s where their passion began. They wanted a way to help couples struggling with infertility afford treatment.
“The financial burden around infertility is devastating,” Becky Budde said. “You have to decide if you’re going to save money or have a family, that’s a hard decision to make, a decision couples shouldn’t have to make. Infertility is not a choice, it’s a disease and those who have it deserve the same treatment as anyone else with a medical condition.”
They joined Parental Hope Inc., a Cincinnati-based nonprofit dedicated to raising infertility awareness and provide emotional and financial support to couples battling infertility.
Parental Hope started in January 2016, Becky Budde serves as a board member. In just a little over a year, Parental Hope has given out three Parental Hope Family Grants to couples who need financial support to obtain the necessary medical treatment to overcome infertility and achieve their dream of parenthood.
Each Parental Hope Family Grants covers the full cost of one round of IVF at the Institute for Reproductive Health in Cincinnati.
Parental Hope is now expecting its first baby because of one of the grants. Casey and Christian Baker of Oxford are due in November. They were awarded a grant last October after trying to get pregnant for about two years.
“What Parental Hope means to us is giving others a chance to continue their journey to parenthood by providing couples financial and emotional support,” Christian Baker said. “Parental hope has allowed us to speak out and help break the silence that often surrounds infertility.“
Having a family has always been the Bakers’ dream since they were high school sweethearts.
“When our battle with infertility began in January 2015, we never thought parenthood would happen for us,” Christian Baker said. “We are ecstatic that our ‘frozen miracle’ is on the way and we will finally become a family of four, we cannot forget our fur baby, Winston. However, we often self-reflect and realize that this miracle would not have been possible without God, Parental Hope, and the Institute for Reproductive Health. We are forever thankful.”
The pain of infertility sticks with you, according to Becky Budde.
“Even when you’re home and finally holding that baby, the pain is still with you. That’s why I find so much joy in helping a couple with these grants,” she said. “We’re hoping to double the number of recipients this year.”
On April 29, in honor of National Infertility Awareness Week, Parental Hope will be hosting its annual fundraiser, Journey to Parenthood: A Cocktail Expedition to Battle Infertility. The event is a casual cocktail event where guests will be introduced to cocktails from around the world.
Molly Wellman of Wellmann Brand's will be designing and making all cocktails for the event. Mollie Watson of Q102 will be emceeing the event. The highlight of the event will be the IVF raffle where one couple battling infertility will win a full round of IVF plus medication.
“We will be changing lives and providing hope,” Becky Budde said.
The event will be held at The Centennial Barn, 110 Compton Road, Cincinnati. For more information, visit www.parentalhope.org.