Sunday was the start of National Infertility Awareness Week. The message of this year's campaign is "You are not alone."
"Infertility is a disease that results in the abnormal functioning of the male or female reproductive system. The American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) and the World Health Organization (WHO) recognize infertility as a disease. Infertility affects approximately 10% of the population. Since infertility strikes diverse groups-affecting people from all socioeconomic levels and cutting across all racial, ethnic and religious lines- chances are great that a friend, relative, neighbor or perhaps you are attempting to cope with the medical and emotional aspects of infertility." (Credit can be found here.)
I am one of the 1 in 8 women that struggles with infertility. 1 in 8! You can look around your office, your neighborhood, your church, your friends, your family, at the stranger walking down the street and chances are you are meeting or have met someone struggling with infertility. I would even wager to say that chances are you have met multiple people struggling with infertility. And while infertility is becoming more and more common, it remains one of the most private battles people carry. The pain is real, it can be all-consuming. It is isolating. It hurts so much at times it takes your breath away. Yet, there is hope, even in the most desperate of times.
You are NOT alone. Everyone's story is different. Each story has it's own unique struggle. My story, while distinctively my own, still carries the common emotions and feelings that goes along with the journey of infertility. I might experience these emotions different than my neighbor and they may look differently in my life than yours, but each us of us still knows the feelings of pain, confusion, desperation, and loneliness. There is someone out there who knows this pain you are going through, and although it doesn't take that pain away, it brings a little light to an otherwise dark and suffocating situation.
You are NOT alone. God loves you. He cares for you. He wishes you no harm but wants the very best. He will never leave you or forsake you. Even in my darkest moments He has never left and is waiting patiently for me to return to him. He is big enough for my questions and my cries. He is the provider of hope and I will continue to trust in Him just as he will continue to never leave me alone. "Fear not, for I am with you. Do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, I will help you. I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." Isaiah 41:10.
You are NOT alone. Even though at times it feels like the exact opposite, you are NOT alone. 1 in 8 people in the United States understand our pain, they've felt it too. We know the disappointment, the grief, sadness, anger and the unsuccessful procedures that have cost more of our money and our emotions than we would ever like to admit or remember. They've cried tears from the same we have. They've been poked and prodded, pumped full of meds, and spent hours upon hours at the doctor and specialist. Some may have it 'better' than you, some may have it 'worse'. In the end those details don't matter. All that matters is that we are NOT alone.
