Crowdfunding a baby?

The message below was included in a daily digest of news alerts I get about infertility.  This one was particularly interesting to me as it was something I've actually secretly fantasized about but never thought could be a reality: crowdsourcing your family.

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Google Alerts <googlealerts-noreply@google.com>Date: Thu, May 2, 2013 at 1:42 PM
Subject: Google Alert - infertility
To: gile.jm@gmail.com

News 1 new results for infertility

KrowdKidz Launches Crowdfunding Community for Infertility, Surrogacy and ... IT News Online TEMPE, Ariz., May 2, 2013 /PRNewswire-iReach/ -- Today KrowdKidz announced it has launched its crowdfunding portal designed to help families challenged with infertility to find donors willing to help defray the costs of infertility treatments ... See all stories on this topic »

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This once a day Google Alert is brought to you by Google.

On May 2nd, KrowdKidz announced it launched a crowdfunding portal designed to help families challenged with infertility to find donors willing to help defray the costs of infertility treatments, surrogacy and adoption. The portal launched with three initial families seeking help. Donors have the ability to contribute as little as $10 to a family.

IndieGoGo, and Kickstarter, are other crowdfunding sites that have has seen some wild campaigns this since 2011, including a family asking for help funding IVF to start their family.  It was successful and the woman got pregnant.

A quick search in the IndieGoGo site of "IVF" produced six infertility campaigns.  One of the more successful ones featured a video I'd like to share here:

Pretty powerful stuff.

I've talked to B about the idea of doing something like this.  He isn't super comfortable with the idea, he says it would feel like begging.  He said his family could never know about it if we did it.  He admits it is pride that stops him from being on board.  That is frustrating to me, since it is only money that prevents us from being parents and having the family we are ready to have.  

So I guess I could fairly argue that pride and money are the causes of the hell I am living in.  Or at least they are keeping me from my happiness.

What do you think, would you ever crowd-source IVF?  Would it be too embarrassing?  Would you be ashamed?  Would you ever donate to it for another couple?  What if it helped you attain your dreams?  What if you helped a family to grow?

Khloe Kardashian is Pissing Me Off

Khloe Kardashian and Lamar Odom married in 2009. Since that time the couple has been trying to conceive, and haven't been successful.  According to Perez Hilton on May 7, 2013, Khloe had an interview with Redbook magazine where she discussed her infertility issues. She claimed she wants everyone to know the "truth." Many applaud her for coming out and discussing her pregnancy issue, but I, along with many others, question whether she’s telling herself "the truth."

In the article Khloe discusses hormone treatments that she has undergone to try to get pregnant. “It’s more about my hormones being off.  I was taking hormone shots to stabilize them, and you have to take those shots consistently and they have to be done by a doctor—you can do them yourself, but I couldn’t.  And then after your cycle, you have to go to the doctor for ultrasounds and more testing. And if I’m in Miami and miss a treatment, I have to start all over again. It’s a commitment and I don’t mind doing it, but the timing was just off.”

Khloe wants everyone to know that she is "not infertile and that she is tired of discussing the issue."

And this is what pisses me off.  The very definition of infertility is a lack of conception after 12 consecutive months of unprotected sex with a fertile partner.  There are many causes of it, and hormonal imbalances and irregularities are one of the many of them.  She is in denial and it is pissing me off that she won't own this.

Look, I get it.  Nobody likes being labeled, especially by others, and particularly when it's something we find to be negative.  But COME ON!  You can't just say you're not infertile and make it be true!  You've been trying for 3.5 years and haven't gotten pregnant yet!  That's the definition of infertility!

And get this, she does admit that she thinks her difficulty in getting pregnant has helped a lot of other women who are struggling with similar issues.... except for the fact that the entire interview demonstrates that she is completely attempting to separate herself from these women!  She clearly does not want to be identified with women struggling from infertility, so why claim that you are proud to have helped them?!?!?!?

How cowardly and two-faced.

I used to like her, she was my favorite of all three of the Kardashian sisters.  This is an opportunity for her to become an activist and a role-model, and instead she is in denial and diminishes the truth of the struggle that 12% of American women are facing.

Come on Khloe, be brave and own this.  Lead the way for us. Continue bringing awareness to this issue instead of shying away from it.  Help us teach society that this is a medical disease and it is okay to talk about it.  Lead by example.  Show us that it is not something to be ashamed of.  Help us create awareness and demand equality, so that all states will mandate health insurance coverage.  Help us, don't lie to yourself that you are not one of us.  None of us wished this for ourselves either, but you could be a voice for us.  You could do something to further our cause.  Use your celebrity and fame to say the things we are thinking, talking, and blogging about.   Advocate for us.  Speak up for us so that more of us can someday achieve what we are all dreaming of, children and families of our very own, and if nothing else, acceptance and support.

You did great things for animals suffering from in-humane cruelty when you advocated with PETA, now do the same for something that hits even closer to home.  Continue making a name for yourself as the Kardashian with substance, courage, and strength.  Do this for the sisterhood you belong too whether you want to admit it to yourself or not.

Rant over.  I hope she bounces back from the press this interview is currently generating, and I hope it's in a way that supports infertile women, rather than ostracizing them.