RESOLVE Night Of Hope 2013

NIght of Hope Photo

NIght of Hope Photo

I attended the RESOLVE 2013 Night of Hope  at the Chelsea Piers Lighthouse.  The emcee was actress Elizabeth Rohm.  There were numerous honorees including Dr. Jamie Grifo from NYU Fertility Center who treated infertility patients in the midst of blackouts and flooding during Super Storm Sandy.  Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night nor Hurricane Sandy can keep the  fertilized egg from being delivered when it is time to go into the uterus.  Even infertility has it heroes.

RESOLVE Night of Hope Successful

RESOLVE Night of Hope Photo

The RESOLVE 2012 Night of Hope raised over 40,000 dollars! The hosts were the married news anchors Kyra Phillips and John Roberts.  They had tried IVF four times before they finally got their twins.  They maintained a sense of humor throughout the evening. John joked about how he did not mind that the other man who had seen his wife’s vagina was right there.  It was his infertility doctor Jamie Grifo from New York University Fertility Center.  In fact Jamie Grifo also was the doctor for last year’s Night of Hope Host Sherri Shepherd from The View. She was funny too, but she skipped the vagina jokes.

DON’T IGNORE THE NEED FOR COUNSELING


Infertility is a low blow. It comes from nowhere and leaves you reeling. Then if you start infertility treatments, you get pounded some more with blood drawings, hormone shots and internal probes. There is the anxiety of waiting to see if you have a baby or the knock out punch of no pregnancy. I myself mourned the loss of my baby five times when I repeatedly tried IVF with my own eggs and failed. The new DSM-V finds that grieving is associated with depression.  I went from counseling others with infertility to becoming a patient myself at the point when I had to decide whether to use a donor egg. I had to separate my feelings of loss from what I wanted to do in the future. People are afraid that counseling for infertility means your crazy.   The increased risk of anxiety and depression, and the ongoing decision-making and striving for resolution all may indicate that it is time to seek help. What is crazy is ignoring going to therapy when it is needed.