A post that's not about me for once!

All joking aside, this is really important. Some friends of friends of mine had a terrible tragedy happen to them. When Jamie was four (maybe five) months pregnant with their first child, her uterus ruptured. In order to save Jamie's life, the doctors had to do a hysterectomy. Their son, Robert William, could not be saved. Jamie is left with her ovaries, and she and her husband have taken this terrible tragedy and turned it into the Robert William Foundation. They are currently raising money to do a round of IVF, utilizing a surrogate (Jamie's cousin). I believe they are very close to, if not at, their goal for that procedure. Once they are successful, the foundation's purpose will be to raise money for other couples going through similar processes and/or adoption due to infertility (I believe). You can read more about the Pursleys at www.robertwilliamfoundation.org.

Infertility is a terrible thing, regardless from where it begins. But to lose your child, and the ability to have any other children naturally, in essentially one second, has to be beyond devastating. I, for one, would still be curled up in a ball in the corner of my bedroom sobbing hysterically while also eating ice cream. Jamie and her husband -- who are clearly more emotionally stable than anyone else in the entire world -- have, instead, taken action. They've mobilized not just the people who know and love them, but an entire community and beyond to be more aware, more compassionate, and more generous regarding these issues. Jamie's mother has a petition started to get the state of North Carolina to mandate infertility coverage. To sign the petition, visit:

http://www.change.org/petitions/nc-mandatory-insurance-coverage-for-ivf

Currently, only 15 states mandate infertility coverage:

Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Illinois (this is the reason Ellie is here), Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Montana, Nee Jersey, New York, Ohio, Rhode Island, Texas, and West Virginia.

*This helpful tidbit brought to you by my friend, Google, who I'm positive never lies*

Honestly, I'm shocked there are that many. Illinois mandating infertility coverage is how we managed to get Ellie. Brian's company was technically still based out of Illinois when we did our first round of IVF. A month or so after we found out I was pregnant, they moved to Iowa, and we lost that coverage. We only had one shot at he time, and we knew it. We also knew we may not ever be fortunate enough to work for employers who did have infertility coverage again, because we both work in Iowa, which does not mandate this coverage. Basically, we had a lot of pressure to make that round work, and we were faced with the possibility that we may only ever have one child.

We are so fortunate that I got my job with the State of Iowa, because, although the entire state doesn't mandate infertility coverage, the State does offer two plans to its employees which both cover these services. That's how we will, hopefully, get Kiblet #2.

But, really, should it be this scary or this uncertain for anyone? Isn't infertility in any form scary enough, without having to worry about the cost of these procedures on top of it? Shouldn't all states be mandating this coverage by now, especially in a day and age where infertility seems to be on the rise at an alarming rate?

I'm sure you know my answers to these questions

Let's all start by signing Jamie's petition. Let's start by showing we care about this issue and these people and the little life that was so tragically lost. We don't have to know them to care. But, if you must know, I think they're wonderful people who deserve to be parents. Robert William was lucky to have them, even for the very short time he did.

Please help the Pursleys in any way you see fit. Also, please visit www.change.org and create a petition for your state to mandate infertility coverage. I know I plan to do so. I'm researching Iowa's Rules right now on the subject and will post the petition for signatures when it is complete.

Who knew one tiny boy could inspire so many.

In Memory of Robert William Pursley.