Monday, June 18, 2007

She Lights Up The Room With Her Smile

A close friend of mine has been on my mind a lot recently. She is such a wonderful giving person. I have often wished that I could be more like her - she lights up a room with her smile and has a positive attitude about absolutely everything. She found her soul mate (they are proof that this actually exists!)- in her mid-twenties. They are like two peas in a pod and want children more than anything. They WILL be great parents. Unfortunately, the happily every after has hit a bump in the road.

She has had difficulty with endometriosis for such a long time and decided recently that the pain was too much. She had surgery in her early twenties to remove some of the scar tissue and the Dr ended up having to take one of her ovaries. Because of her age, she assumed that everything would work out okay with fertility since she had the one remaining ovary. Unfortunately, this was not the case. The endometriosis combined with a diagnosis of PCOS and the constant pain proved to be too much. She decided to have a complete hysterectomy and the surgery was today - she is 33. I ache so much for her. She wants children so badly.

Thankfully, her sister is just as wonderful. She has offered to not only donate her eggs but to be a surrogate as well. I am not sure if my friend will take her up on this amazingly generous offer, but just to know that people like this exist makes my heart smile.

My friend has braved this battle with amazing strength and grace. She has remained positive and is an inspiration. She deserves the best in life and I hope that she finds everything that she is looking for.

Please think of my friend today and say a prayer for her.

19 comments:

Leah said...

I will definitely pray for your friend. It seems so unfair -- she is *exactly* the type of person that should be having children so that she can pass along that gift she has. Hopefully she'll take her sister up on the offer (or will find another way to have children).

I'm looking forward to meeting you tomorrow night at White Flint. We just endured another failed IVF, but it was the last one that our insurance would pay for. Therefore, we are leaning toward DE. Probably Shared Risk. Therefore, I would love to talk to you about it if we get a chance. Most importantly, I'll be thinking positive thoughts and doing a lucky dance that this cycle is the one for you!

ultimatejourney said...

That is so sad. My heart goes out to your friend. She sounds like she will be a great mother, however she decides to bring children into her life.

Serenity said...

My thoughts are with your friend today... what a beautiful tribute to her.

Shelby said...

Wow. My heart and thoughts go out to your friend.

I'm looking forward to meeting you tonight at Cheesecake Factory!

Anonymous said...

If your friend blogs (or you want to print it out for her to read), you might want to check out http://eggscramble.blogspot.com.
I know her through a message board more than her blog, and she doesn't post often, but she also lost both her ovaries at a young age. She ended up doing donor egg and recently gave birth to twin girls. It's not exactly the same, but it might help her hold onto hope for the future. Give her a hug for me!

One View said...

Thank you for sharing this story. My heart and prayers go out to your friend and I hope everything works out for her. IF always seems to affect the most wonderful people and I hate how unfair this all is. I'm glad she has such a wonderful sister.

Lollipop Goldstein said...

The gray goose and vodka for you, CE. And a toast and many good thoughts to your friend.

Leah said...

It was wonderful to meet you tonight. I can't thank you enough for sharing the details of your story, it meant a lot to me to hear it first hand from a real person. :-) I truly hope that this cycle is the one for you guys, you have been through so much.

I'm adding you to my blogroll (and bloglines), so I'll be checking in on you regularly. Hope to see you again soon at the next get together. More importantly, I hope that you are proudly showing off your expanding belly!

Lea Bee said...

i will keep your friend in my thoughts. it was great to meet you tonight and i hope we can do it again soon.

ColourYourWorld said...

What a difficult situation your friend is in. She will be in my thoughts. Thanks for sharing her story.

In and Out of Luck said...

It was great to meet you last night. Good luck on starting the DE process. And I will definitely pray for your friend, like Leah said she sounds like she would be (no - I'll say "will be," since I have to believe there is more than one way to get there) a terrific mother.

Cece said...

Wow - sounds like she has a great support 'team'!!!

Nichole said...

Your friend is definately in my prayers!
I was referred to your blog by Leah from "Tales from my dusty ovaries". I am so glad I found your blog!
Good luck with your DE cycle! I am so sorry your family is not as supportive as (I feel) they should be! It is like a double edge sword!

dmarie said...

It was great meeting you last night and I'll have to take some time to read your archives and catch up on you :)

Your friend is definitely in my thoughts. I'm glad you shared her story.

Anonymous said...

How sad. She'll be in my thoughts.

Janna said...

Oh that is just so heartbreaking. I hope that she is doing well. It sounds like she has a wonderful support system in place to help her through this. I will keep her in my prayers.

Joy said...

How sad for her. I wish her the best, whichever path she chooses to motherhood.

JJ said...

That is a lovely tribute to your friend...thanks for writing that...

Becks said...

Apologies for catching up with this late, but I just wanted to say that I am sending my thoughts to your friend. I am sure you will be a great support to her.