Walk of Hope 2014

This morning I attended the Walk of Hope event in Scottsdale. This is an annual event put on by Resolve to raise awareness and donations for infertility. It was comforting being around so many other men and women who are or have been in our shoes. It was also great to see so many children running around the event! To know that most of those children are the result of fertility treatments is amazing and truly inspiring.

This event is partially the reason why I decided to "come out" of the infertility closet. And the fact that it's been about 3 years now and I'm tired of hiding it and making excuses when people ask "So when are you going to have kids?" I want people to understand what I'm going through, or at least educate them on what it's like to be infertile and how common this disease really is. I'm not going to make a huge announcement on Facebook or anything like that. Instead I'll just start posting informative or inspirational quotes or graphics on my social media sites. Hopefully I can raise awareness and I might even discover some friends that are going through the same thing in silence.

I'm glad I finally made it to this point on my infertility journey. I'm realizing that this struggle is making me a stronger person, and that I shouldn't be ashamed of it. Everyone has a different journey in life and struggles that they have to overcome. Infertility happens to be one of mine. And I'm tired of hiding something that takes up so much of my life. It's something I'm constantly thinking about. And I've been living it every single day for almost 3 years. It's about time that I come out of my shell and risk a little bit of bad advice. I hope I gain some more followers and raise awareness among my family and friends. You never know who you are going to inspire if you remain silent about your struggle.

Other than that big decision, Daniel and I have been trying again and crossing our fingers, arms, and toes that we will finally get our BFP! Since my cycles are back to normal now, we decided to try "naturally" until July/August and if we still aren't pregnant by then, to go back to the fertility center to look at our options.

And last but not least, here are some photos from the Walk of Hope today: