Meet Jennifer

This past July I was diagnosed with Breast Cancer. The good news is I caught it early and it hasn't spread. The bad news is the chemotherapy regimen recommended to lessen the chances of recurrence pose a risk to completely losing my ability to have kids.

The news of this side effect to the chemo hit me like a Mack truck out of the blue, as becoming a mom and having a little family in the future was something I always pictured. I never considered that it was something that might get stripped away. I'm currently just 32 years old.

When I was made more aware about fertility preservation options roughly over a week ago through my medical team, I became more hopeful that the dream of being a mother wasn't completely gone. The next big barrier in the way however was and will be the expense. The costs of fertility preservation is downright daunting. My insurance is also not going to cover it. Adding this cost onto the bills I'm already getting and will continue to receive as I continue cancer treatment makes access to this best case option extremely difficult.

By freezing my eggs, I could have the ability to utilize the best option possible to build my future little family should I completely lose my natural ability to have kids due to chemo. I'd hopefully be able to have this resource to lean on as back-up.

Thank you Team Maggie for restoring my hope for what the future can look like as a young survivor looking to start a future family and for considering me for your grant program.