Kansas City Infertility Awareness is a group dedicated to creating a community for women dealing with infertility.
Courtney and Jason Belz had unsuccessful attempts to conceive through artificial insemination and in-vitro fertilization. After 2 1/2 years, the couple decided to try a donor egg. Now they are parents to 9-month-old twins, one boy and one girl.
"The pain of month after month, especially once we were doing medication and really felt like every month was going to be the month, it was heartbreaking. It was lonely," Courtney Belz said.
Then she found KCIA. "Reaching out to all of the girls I met through that was so, so helpful."
When asked about KCIA, Jason Belz said it was "a game changer, life changer." His advice for other couples battling infertility is to "have faith that one day you'll have your dream."
The story of Andrea and Louis is much different. They were having trouble getting pregnant, so through the help of family and friends, they got in-vitro fertilization. Andrea had a failed cycle.
"It's a very emotional process because this is something we both wanted and still want," she said.
Right now, the couple is actively waiting to be matched with a birth mother through American Adoptions.
KCIA changed Louis's perspective on infertility. "As we got into the group, you realize how many people it affects and how much people live with this every day."
If you want to attend the KCIA conference on Saturday, April 30, you can get more information KCIA's website.
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Dia Wall can be reached at dia.wall@kshb.com.
