Casey & Patrick

Casey & Patrick's Story:

We got engaged June 2020, then four months after that we were pregnant! It was a huge surprise, but we were thrilled!

Unfortunately, the pregnancy was a rough one, and in Feb 2021, we lost our daughter at 27 weeks.To say we were devastated, is an understatement.

As soon as we got the clearance from the OB/GYN, we started trying again. Each month we did not conceive was harder and harder. It really took a toll on my mental health. We did ovulation tracking, I took medications to increase my ovulation, but nothing worked. So we took a break and chose to focus on our wedding, and on October 1st, 2021, I married my best friend!

Seeking to grow our family, we were first referred to a local fertility clinic and were quickly defeated when told how much just an egg retrieval would cost. But we still took this as an opportunity to try to at least figure out what was wrong.

Everything was normal but we learned that my left fallopian tube was not only completely blocked but was filled with a toxic fluid (Hydrosalpinx) that even if we fertilized an egg it would likely get wiped out. As for my right fallopian tube, it was also blocked, but instead, by a large cyst!

They told us they had no idea how we conceived our daughter and that we needed IVF if we wanted to have a family. It was very hard knowing that the likelihood of us conceiving naturally was almost non-existent.

Then one day, a friendly ultrasound tech (who we had met when pregnant with our first daughter) told us about CNY.

We completed our consultation and gave them all the results from our testing. They highly recommended that I had the left Fallopian tube removed, but I had several invasive surgeries as a child and risked severe complications from removing it. So we decided to try without removing the tube, considering that I had already gotten pregnant once!

We completed our first egg retrieval and were so thrilled to be approved for a fresh transfer 5 days later. But the embryo did not stick. We then started a long two-year journey that included 5 more embryo transfers and another egg retrieval.

Each month that the BETA came back negative was crushing. People all around us were getting pregnant, but we were stuck. Each month felt like we were starting all over again. We were running out of money and now not only were we still grieving the loss of our daughter, we were also grieving the loss of all our embryos and our hopes of having a family was slipping away.

I had put so many different combinations of medications in my body I was not even aware of what my baseline hormones felt like anymore. We had one more follow-up call, and the provider plainly said he did not see us having success until I removed the Fallopian Tube. So we removed the tube January 2023, and our very next cycle March 2023 was successful! We sadly lost that pregnancy, and our next one after that, and we were crushed again.

Then, before starting the next cycle, a very nice and supportive provider listened to my needs and helped me choose a protocol that would give my body a break. We agreed to do a Modified Natural Cycle and I was taken off more than half of the medications I had been taking for all our previous cycles.

That transfer was successful. We found out we were pregnant in August 2023! We were so excited but terrified at the same time. We waited a long time to tell anyone, we finally announced our pregnancy November 2023. 

Our beautiful little girl, Norah Evelyn, was born on April 4th 2024.
These two months have been a dream, something that we had started to question whether or not it would ever happen.

We are so grateful for the CNY team, they have always been supportive and helpful every step of the way. They always answered all my questions and solved all my concerns. I have struggled a lot with anxiety the last few years, CNY always took the time to make me feel at ease and heard.

These last 3 1/2 years have been the hardest years of our lives. We could not have made it this far without CNY, each other, a lot of counseling, and our friends and family. We have one more embryos on ice, so maybe a 2025 baby is next?

Favorite Team Member at CNY:

Dr. Chang, he transferred our little girl and provided me with statistics that eased my anxious mind.

All the nursing staff at the Buffalo Clinic were supportive and so very friendly.

Helpful resources Casey & Patrick found:

Lots and lots of therapy! I joined IVF support groups on Facebook that were also very helpful.

The Moment:

The moment our daughter was born was so surreal. The nurse shouted at me to look down and as I did, they plopped her right onto my chest. She is perfect.

I have finally found what I am supposed to do in this life, be her mother! She was worth every single shot!

Hope, Inspiration and Advice:

I have had several friends go down this path. I tell them to take their time, ask questions, and speak up for themselves. I think one of the hardest things is when your transfer fails.

I tell everyone to make sure they take the space that they need. I would allow myself that night to be sad, feel all the feelings and say everything out loud. Most importantly, cry if I needed to.

Then, the next day, I would wake up and get ready to start it all over again because in the end, I will have my baby!