We received more entries for our awareness 2021 promotion than we did in 2020. We are pleased to announce the winners!
It was a difficult decision, so difficult, in fact, that we selected 5 couples for IVF and 1 couple for IUI. Our goal through promotional programs is to raise awareness about infertility. 1 in 8 couples will experience infertility, and like most, these couples never thought they would be a part of this statistic. Follow the journey of our patients as they go through IVF treatment in hopes of overcoming infertility.
Capturing the Story
Recipients of the Fertility Awareness 2021 promotion submitted videos telling their story and struggle with infertility. These stories were reviewed, and winners were selected. For 2021, we made a change to the voting process and allowed the public to select a winner. Additional winners were selected by staff voting. Their journey is documented through a combination of videos recorded by the recipients as well as video recorded during their visits to California IVF. Our intent was to capture to emotion and actual experiences of couples as they progressed through fertility treatments. There was not a script and their outcomes were uncertain. We are grateful for the opportunity to share their stories in an effort to increase awareness of infertility and IVF. Their submission videos are shown below. Be sure to follow us on social media for the details and outcomes of their journey.
Fertility Awareness 2021 Winners
The Esquilins
Jillian and Timothy Pfeifer
When Tim shared his health story with Jillian he was literally sweating bullets convinced she would jump out of the moving car and not date him! Tim had been diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis at 2 years old. After a double lung transplant when Tim was 17 years old, he received a standing ovation when he walked across the graduation stage! Unfortunately, shortly afterwards Tim was diagnosed with post-transplant lymphoma. He underwent chemotherapy and is now living cancer free. Cystic Fibrosis can also cause infertility. Tim knew how much Jillian wanted kids, but Jillian knew Tim was the one for her and she wanted to spend the rest of her life with him. They married in 2018. IVF is Jillian and Tim’s hope for fulfilling their dream of starting a family together. Their health insurance does not cover IVF so winning the California IVF fertility awareness promotion has been another dream come true!
The Shaws
Domonique and Reginald married in 2018 and struggled to get pregnant. They had a beautiful daughter born in December 2019. Two weeks later their daughter’s bloodwork revealed a rare genetic condition, ADL which effects 1 in 17,000 babies. Females tend to be asymptomatic, but the prognosis for males tends to be poor and often fatal. Dominique and Reginald underwent genetic testing, and Domonique was found to be a genetic carrier for ADL. After discussions with their genetic doctors and counselors they were advised that the best-case scenario to have another baby would be to explore IVF with genetic testing of the embryos before transfer. California IVF offers Preimplantation Genetic Testing where embryos are screened for genetic problems to optimize IVF outcomes by identifying healthy embryos for transfer. With an IVF cycle from California IVF, they were hoping to add to their family again, which is exactly what happened!
Zuriel and Joanne
Zuriel and Joanne are high school sweethearts and have been together for 16 years. At 12 years old Zuriel was diagnosed with Lupus which he successfully battled and had been in remission for years. In 2015, while they were away celebrating their 10th anniversary, Zuriel got a call from his doctor. Zuriel’s tests were not good – he was having a relapse and had to begin chemotherapy immediately. They realized that if they were going to be able to start a family together they needed to take action. They found California IVF and made an appointment resulting in Zuriel being able to donate and store his sperm to use at a later date. “The consult addressed all our concerns and gave us a bright spot for the future,” Zuriel remembers. The young couple got hit with another challenging medical issue when Joanne had to undergo surgery for Endometriosis. The surgery was successful, but the doctor advised them that IVF was going to be their best option for a successful pregnancy. After 2 egg retrieval procedures, and significant egg quality issues, they did not have any embryos available for transfer. Endometriosis can be a significant factor in the struggle to become pregnant. Fertility clinics celebrate the success stories but also have to endure the painful reality that not everyone is successful.
The McIntyres
Hannah loves children and was working as a nanny when she met Cody, a pilot in the US Air Force and fell in love. After getting married in 2015 they tried unsuccessfully to become pregnant. “We were both young and healthy, how could it be us?” they had reasoned. After three years of trying to get pregnant, they realized something wasn’t right. After testing, they were told everything was “normal” and there was nothing the doctors could do for them. They were referred to California IVF, and the cause of their infertility was found. They went through two rounds of medications and timed interourse without success. They were so excited and encouraged by the Awareness Promotion and its role in helping educate and de-stigmatize infertility. Hannah and Cody are passionate about sharing their story with infertility and helping remove the misconceptions and stigma surrounding it. Through their journey they have discovered so many people they know have struggled in silence with infertility. “It’s nothing to be ashamed or embarrassed by. Infertility is more common than we may think, affecting 1 in 8 couples. ” “Instead of letting our diagnosed infertility break us, we have decided to turn it around and make us stronger, better people, strengthen our marriage and hopefully become better parents in the future.” After IVF and an embryo transfer, they were able to begin a new journey as expectant parents.
Angela and Marisa
Angela and Marisa have been together since 2015. They were married in October 2020. After finding their perfect donor, they attempted a few tries home insemination before applying to the California IVF Fertility Awareness program. While they were not selected for the IVF program, the staff felt they were perfect candidates for intrauterine insemination (IUI). The clinic gifted them 3 attempts at IUI in appreciation of their openness to share their story and bring awareness to fertility options available. After a successful IUI procedure, they are now contemplating additional children in the future!
Our goal throughout this promotion is to raise awareness about infertility. 1 in 8 couples will experience infertility. Like most couples trying to start a family, the couples that entered the giveaway never thought they would be a part of this statistic. In addition to increasing awareness around how fertility affects individuals and couples, we want to raise awareness about the fertility treatment process and the journey our couples experience. We are grateful to everyone who shared their stories with us. It was not any easy decision, but with help from public voting and our staff selections, we are pleased to introduce you to our 2021 winners. Follow us on social media for updates on their progress and announcements about future IVF awareness promotions.
Visit or Fertility Awareness 2020 page for more great stories from our first IVF giveaway.
Newer stories can be found on our Fertility Awareness 2024 page.
California IVF Fertility Center provides fertility treatments for male and female infertility conditions. Explore our site for more information about our services and do not hesitate to call us with questions. We are one of the few centers that still answer the phones!