Meet Anna and Marlon Kashani. In January of 2014 Anna, 29 years old, engaged to Marlon, was diagnosed with breast cancer. The Vancouver couple were devastated of course. But they were even more shocked to hear that treatment had to start immediately. Anna’s family history of breast cancer meant specialists wanted to begin aggressive treatment right away. The situation was urgent. There was no talk of fertility preservation, or what might happen, until Anna brought it up. “The cancer clinic told us we would never have kids,” Anna said recently in Vancouver. “We weren’t satisfied with that answer. We did some…
-
-
It’s time for fresh starts. December 1st. What could be a better time? I’m not waiting for New Year’s resolutions this year because I need to tackle this new health challenge head on. I have high blood pressure and it’s not going away. It started in September and I assumed it was because I was hyper about taking a trip with World Vision Canada and I assumed that the high reading was a one off. But in October it was high again and then this past weekend when we went for flu shots it was astronomical. So it’s time to…
-
This past month several technology companies made significant announcements about egg freezing and fertility treatments. Apple and Facebook policies have created a lot of buzz in the fertility and infertility world. In this day and age when 1 in 6 face infertility, egg freezing facts should be part of your conversation with a doctor. First Modern Family star Sophia Vergara disclosed her intention to freeze her eggs. Then massive high tech companies like Apple and Facebook said they would chip in to help cover the cost of egg freezing, a procedure that provides a means of preserving a woman’s fertility. Technology Companies Driving Fertility…
-
Last week we attended our first ever We Day. We were two of the 7000 people attending We Day Waterloo 2014. There were 315 schools in attendance also, one of which came all the way from Nova Scotia. I took my oldest daughter Payton with me because I knew she really wanted to go. She is my helper girl and we often say that she is destined to be a teacher or a therapist. She has a big heart. The route to WE Day isn’t easy. You have to be a class, or a child, that gives back to your community and…
-
By now you know that gifts from the World Vision gift catalogue 2014 matter. They matter to children like these girls who are able to attend school in Colombia thanks to sponsorship and often thanks to donations from the gift catalogue. They matter to the boys in this picture playing soccer and building a healthy outlook for life in an area where drugs, gangs and poverty are very real threats to children. They matter to children you might never meet all over the world in so many countries that need help. Tonight on twitter, we are talking about the impact…
-
We had a strange event in our neighbourhood last weekend involving one of my children. A person we did not know pulled over at the side of the road where my one daughter was playing with a friend and started taking pictures of them. The girls had been out playing on their bikes, in daylight, after school. Normally I can see my child out front. That afternoon I couldn’t see her, nonetheless, I knew she was riding her bike, helmet on, safe on our street with a friend. But the safety I take for granted was taken away when the…
-
This year infertility patients in Ontario welcomed the announcement that in vitro fertilization would be funded here as soon as 2015. Public funding for IVF would be a reality. Or would it? After that announcement last April, a spring election was called. That left many feeling worried that proposed funding would never arrive. For infertility patents in Ontario it was a roller coaster of emotions. But remarkably, the spring election resulted in a Liberal majority and the government did in fact reiterate its promise to support an IVF funding program in 2015. Members of Conceivable Dreams were overjoyed and hopeful with the announcement. But…
-
Back in April we heard the happy news that IVF (in vitro fertilization) would be funded in Ontario. Then suddenly an election was called and infertility patients were worried the promise of IVF funding would die before it even had a chance to be reality. But then, in an amazing twist, the Ontario Liberal party won a majority under Premier Kathleen Wynne. The Liberal government promise was good. The Wynne government confirmed that public funding for IVF in Ontario would be reality in 2015. It was a cause to celebrate. It still is a cause to celebrate. In Canada an estimated…
-
This is a twitter party with a difference. We at Linked Moms, often tackle hard topics, like infertility, adoption, advocacy and poverty. It’s one of the things that makes us unique. We have a voice, a platform, and an audience too. We care about topics that matter. We care about families and issues. We never underestimate our readers. We know they want to hear about things that matter. We know several of you are just like us parenting kids with special needs, trying to make a difference in the world and struggling with the reality of aging parents. Life is…
-
When you are struggling with infertility sometimes it seems like you have nothing to do but wait. It’s pretty easy to begin to feel powerless inside the emotional roller coaster of the infertility health care journey. First, you realize you have no real control over your body when it won’t do what you want it to. You may feel like you have no control over doctors, nurses, or test results. Even your life plan is turned on its head when your body won’t conceive. You hoped to have a child by 30. You hoped then for 32, then 34, 35, by…