There comes a point in time when you have to ask for help. Garrett and I have really been struggling to come to this decision for a long time. But we've come to a crossroad and we can't move forward in this process if we don't have the finances to keep going.
We're looking at a minimum $15,000 for the PGD and the IVF. So with that said we've started a "Go Fund Me" account for any size of donation. Really anything helps. We've put up a post on Facebook, so even sharing it would help.
We appreciate everything that everyone has done for us so far and thank you in advance for any more help. Words cannot express the gratitude we feel!
Here is the link for the GoFundMe: http://www.gofundme.com/8oxt8o
Sunday, April 27, 2014
Wednesday, April 16, 2014
Keeping Up With The Jones'
Feels like it was only yesterday that I started this blog and now we're already almost 3 months into this process. It blows my mind. So I have a couple of things to update everyone on...
Natera (the lab), contacted us last week and gave us the run down of how the whole PGD thing works. When I say "run down" I really mean that they explained above and beyond everything I needed to know. They talked about "Snippets" and "52 to genotypes.".... I'm serious, it was like they were speaking another language! haha After our genetic counselor got done explaining everything, she ask if we had any questions. Obviously I had a thousand! haha So she proceeded to dumb it down to my level.
How the whole PGD process works is different for every case. It's dependent upon what kind of mutation of the gene, what type of gene, lots of things factor into PGD testing. Every PGD case is different. In our situation, what they're going to do is get a semen sample from Garrett and test all the sperm. Since they already know what his mutation looks like they'll be able to pick and choose which sperm don't have the Marfan mutation. Once they've found all the "golden sperm" (that's what Garrett and I are now call it haha) they'll ship that sperm back to Dr. Peterson and that will be when we'll start the IVF cycle. This is a pretty incredible thing. It ultimately means that all the good eggs they get from me will only be injected with the good sperm from Garrett. How cool is that?! Not only does it increase our chance of getting more viable embryo's it also increases the chance of having more children! Which means that we will only have to do this once! YAY!!!
Yesterday, we talked with the genetic counselor again and she gave us the billing information and the OK to start giving samples (blood, spit, the works!) . She also gave us the time line of how long the testing will take. At this point we're looking at 8 weeks till they are done with the tests. End of June should be when we start IVF. Fingers crossed it stays like that :)
Natera (the lab), contacted us last week and gave us the run down of how the whole PGD thing works. When I say "run down" I really mean that they explained above and beyond everything I needed to know. They talked about "Snippets" and "52 to genotypes.".... I'm serious, it was like they were speaking another language! haha After our genetic counselor got done explaining everything, she ask if we had any questions. Obviously I had a thousand! haha So she proceeded to dumb it down to my level.
How the whole PGD process works is different for every case. It's dependent upon what kind of mutation of the gene, what type of gene, lots of things factor into PGD testing. Every PGD case is different. In our situation, what they're going to do is get a semen sample from Garrett and test all the sperm. Since they already know what his mutation looks like they'll be able to pick and choose which sperm don't have the Marfan mutation. Once they've found all the "golden sperm" (that's what Garrett and I are now call it haha) they'll ship that sperm back to Dr. Peterson and that will be when we'll start the IVF cycle. This is a pretty incredible thing. It ultimately means that all the good eggs they get from me will only be injected with the good sperm from Garrett. How cool is that?! Not only does it increase our chance of getting more viable embryo's it also increases the chance of having more children! Which means that we will only have to do this once! YAY!!!
Yesterday, we talked with the genetic counselor again and she gave us the billing information and the OK to start giving samples (blood, spit, the works!) . She also gave us the time line of how long the testing will take. At this point we're looking at 8 weeks till they are done with the tests. End of June should be when we start IVF. Fingers crossed it stays like that :)
Thursday, April 3, 2014
The Latest and Greatest
I don't know if this news is the greatest news... When I imagine the greatest news I see me winning a billion dollars and quitting school! haha Sorry, I'm just ready for this semester to be over. Back to what I was saying... we have good news. 3 week ago Garrett was retested for the Marfan gene and they re-isolated it! It such a big deal because I was planning on it being a longer wait. But this isn't even the best part! Wait for it… wait for it! Garrett's insurance paid for it! This test is normally a $5,000 test! Can you say blessings?!? I sure can. I'm constantly reminded of how much the Lord loves us!
On top of this news today I talked with our nurse and she told us the results from the re-isolation have been sent to the lab. We will be hearing from Notaire (the lab that will be building the probes) within the week to have an update. We were told today that depending on the complexity of the gene it will be a minimum of 4 weeks to have the probes built. Soooo... Let the waiting game begin!
In the mean time, the nurse has several blood tests that I have to get done before we start IVF. I never thought I'd said this, but I love homework! So while they're building the probes I'll be giving my blood!
Can I just say that even though we haven't even started and even though we're at least 5 weeks out from starting the whole process, I'm feeling good. Today is another good day... Stressed with school... but everything else is going good. Garrett and I have never been better and we're continually amazing at how much we're being blessed. Thanks for the extra prayers and thoughts. Every one has been so great! Thank you all for the encouragement too, I really do need it sometimes! :)
On top of this news today I talked with our nurse and she told us the results from the re-isolation have been sent to the lab. We will be hearing from Notaire (the lab that will be building the probes) within the week to have an update. We were told today that depending on the complexity of the gene it will be a minimum of 4 weeks to have the probes built. Soooo... Let the waiting game begin!
Saw this today and it made me laugh haha
Can I just say that even though we haven't even started and even though we're at least 5 weeks out from starting the whole process, I'm feeling good. Today is another good day... Stressed with school... but everything else is going good. Garrett and I have never been better and we're continually amazing at how much we're being blessed. Thanks for the extra prayers and thoughts. Every one has been so great! Thank you all for the encouragement too, I really do need it sometimes! :)
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