Greeley Couple Turns To Crowdfunding For IVF Treatment
DENVER (CBS4) - Would you turn to online crowdfunding to pay for infertility problems? That's exactly what more and more Americans are doing, and for some it seems to be working.
"I would have never thought in a million years, this was the situation we would be in," Ashley Kondracki says. She and her husband, Phillip, live in a Colorado home they hope soon welcomes a new baby.
"Phillip likes… I would call them 'woodsman' names," Ashley says.
While they may not agree just yet on a baby name, they have agreed on going public on the website GoFundMe to raise money for in-vitro fertilization.
The couple have been together for about four years. Both fresh from the military, they knew within a year of marriage they wanted children.
"I just always expected to be a Father," Phillip says. But Mother Nature had other plans.
"There is no chance now," Ashley says. "IVF would be our only option."
Nearly a decade ago, Ashley had what was supposed to be a reversible tubal ligation, after having two children in a previous relationship. Although it was successful, she was back in the hospital in months with ovarian cysts, four surgeries and two years later.
"We are down to one ovary, and no tubes," Ashley says. With the extremely high cost of IVF, the couple has turned to a crowdfunding page on GoFundMe to help pay for it.
Crowdfunding on websites like GoFundMe is a usually a way to raise money for a business venture, project or service. But now some are using it for much more personal ventures, like having children. The website even has a Babies, Kids, and Family Category, a section that reportedly has collected $4.1 million. Donations specifically for IVF campaigns is about $1.1 million. According to the website, it's growing in popularity; in just the first half of 2014, donations for IVF campaigns has risen 32 percent over 2013.
"You're going all or nothing, and that's for everybody to see," Ashely says of going public with their situation.
Once they put their page online, the couple says there were some people who did not agree with their venture.
"We got a little bit of hate mail," Phillip says.
The couple says they are aware of other options, but they are hoping for at least one try at a baby of their own.
"That would be the ultimate gift," Phillip says. While they hope for the best, they also want their story to open eyes on a sad situation many couples suffer through silently. "Even if we never meet our goal, at least people are aware."
Ashley and Phillip say they have gotten countless emails of support from others going through the same thing. "There are so many people going through infertility issues." Ashley says.
"I just think he would be such a wonderful father," Ashley says of her husband. The couple both raise Ashley's kids from her previous relationship, but Ashley says she would like Philip to experience having a child of his own. "I really hate… that it could be an opportunity that he would miss."
For Phillip, he believes their child together represents their relationship, and the life they've built together in Colorado.
"I am shooting for a biological child of my own… with Ashley… that's ours," Phillips says.
You can read more about Phillip and Ashley's story or donate on their GoFundMe page at http://www.gofundme.com/babykondracki.
