A Dublin woman is seeking assistance for fertility costs of up to €80,000 after cervical cancer stopped her from getting pregnant.
Amy always knew she wanted to have children since she was a teenager. She began trying for a family at the age of 30 but realised after several months that something was amiss and got in touch with her doctors.
She underwent a biopsy after her suspicions. She received the distressing news over the phone but Amy said her top priority was ensuring that she had fertility options in place before treatment went ahead.
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She told Dublin Live: "I went in for my scan results in the Mater Hospital and they asked me what I thought I had. They then told me it was Stage 3 cervical cancer and that I had a tumour in my cervix. I asked if I would still be able to have kids and when they said no, that's when I broke down."
Amy underwent IVF treatment before having chemotherapy to preserve her eggs. She now plans on going down the surrogacy route in Europe but admitted that she has been shocked by the expense, which will include €16,000 worth of legal fees as well as travel and surrogacy costs.
Her family and friends have launched a GoFundMe in order to help Amy reach her goal of becoming a mother. The 31-year-old was adamant about not starting treatment unless she could undergo IVF first.
She added: "I explained to my doctor that there was no point going through hell if I couldn’t get what I wanted. I fought long and hard with doctors and they then agreed to let me have one round of IVF, which had to be completed surgically as they were worried my tumour could erupt."
Amy has since undergone both chemotherapy and radiation and is now in remission following her cancer battle. However, the treatment brought on early menopause and she is struggling with the sudden onset of her symptoms.
Amy explained: "My mental health has deteriorated and the hot flushes at night are quite hard to deal with, I get quite agitated. I know there’s people out there who are a lot worse off though so I try to just get on with my day."
She encouraged all women to keep going for smears and if they suspect something is amiss, to push for a biopsy. Amy's tumour had been growing for a year and a half but remained undetected on routine smear tests.
Her family have also launched a page, entitled 'Amy's Surrogacy Journey', to provide updates on the campaign. You can donate to Amy GoFundMe online.
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