Today marks the first day of Infertility Awareness Week, so in an effort to raise awareness I figured it's time for a blog. Resolve, the National Infertility Association, has issued a call for bloggers to share how they've broken the silence of infertility, how you have advocated for the infertility community or yourself. Hopefully by sharing our story, we have made a dent in breaking the silence. It's not always been easy to share about our journey, but writing was therapeutic for me and hopefully spoke to others in a similar situation. If I'm going to be honest, coming back to the blog and re-reading isn't always the easiest thing to do either. What's going on with us and our journey? We don't know yet and Terrie is working with me on being okay with that. If you ask, I may give a short brief answer to avoid picking at the scabs that are healing after our IVF and miscarriage. Just keep praying for us!
Since there's nothing to report as far as what's going on with us, I'm going to dedicate this blog to why I'm joining the movement and speaking out about infertility. Infertility is a disease and just relaxing or forgetting about it isn't going to make it go away. After years of battling infertility, I can say I am thankful for the things it has done for me. Don't get me wrong, it still sucks...I'm just able to look at how it has helped us grow closer as a couple and how God has really used it with me to work on my faith.
I'm in the midst of the Soul Detox Bible study, and this week our study was on fear. During the video, something stood out to me. What you fear reveals what you value the most and what you fear reveals where you trust God the least. Looking back at all of our fertility treatments, I can honestly say there was a lot of fear. We invested so much, physically, financially, and emotionally, it was scary to think it might not work. I'm very blessed to have had several friends pray me through those fears. Having been so open about our journey, I was able to reach out and get the emotional support and prayers needed to keep me grounded. After we miscarried, I once again was able to reach out to our family and friends to pray us through.
If someone you know is dealing with infertility, please let them know they are not alone! We are still blessed to be part of the Cade Foundation family. Our support didn't end when they gave us the grant or had a miscarriage. We are still blessed to receive love and prayers from our Cade Family! This Wednesday, Stacie and I will be sharing the Cade Foundation at the ICFI Fertility Fair. Last year, it was really uplifting to share our story and hope with other couples. Pray for me this year, as it may be an even more emotional experience sharing our story and our loss.
For more info: http://myicfi.org/fertility-fair/
Information is out for the Cade Foundation Race for the Family in Illinois!
The Cade Foundation Illinois Race for the Family is a VIRTUAL 5k run/walk, a 1 mile Family Fun Walk intended to raise money to fund grants for families with infertility. Last year- the event was a LIVE race- and this year- we decided to modify the format so that the activity could be more inclusive. The Race for the Family(TM) is a heart warming event that that raises money to help infertile couples in become loving parents! For those interested- we will host a Cade Foundation Family Cookout on June 22, 2013 and all registrants are invited to attend this celebration in Lincoln Park with us. Our goal is to raise $50,000 for this years event. Sign up today and help support families OVERCOMING infertility!
Everyone who registers by June 1, 2013 will be mailed a moisture wicking t shirt (adults) or cotton t shirt (children.) Anyone who registers between June 2 and June 22 can come out to the Cade Foundation Family Cookout to pick up their shirt and celebrate OVERCOMING infertility over lunch with us!
http://www.illraceforthefamily.com/
I need to get back in the saddle and work on getting ready for a 5K! I admit after a day in preschool, the motivation to walk/run is minimal...but I'll get there. Please join us in supporting the Cade Foundation!
That's enough rambling from this end! I just wanted to take a second and share National Infertility Awareness Week with our friends and family.
Thanks for the love, support, and prayers~
Sarah
