Dear Coco Design

Four years ago, I submitted a painting to organization to be included in a book used at the university level and above and exhibited at their art collection. Two years ago, it was published, and I saw my painting and our story forever in the hands of the public.

A week ago today in New York City, The ART of Infertility teamed up with —a leader in fertility and women’s health benefits—and : The National Infertility Association to host “Light the Night” in recognition of National Infertility Awareness Week. The evening concluded with the Empire State Building being lit up in orange to shine light on infertility awareness.

I’m so honored that my painting was included in the exhibit featured during the event! My business has come a long way since 2018 and I’m not quite sure what the future holds for it. But it’s really cool milestones like this that make it all the more enjoyable! 💕

And my painting got to be neighbors with that of my fertility doctor !!

📸:

Participating Artists
Cole Askevold, Katie Benson, Jamie Blicher, Nicole Bruton, Molina B. Dayal, Ryan Ferrante, Maya Grobel & Noah Moskin, Elizabeth Horn, Ashley January, Roxy Jenkins, Kevin Jordan, Jodi Manca, Emily McCully, Coralina Rodriguez Meyer, Alexis Neider, Jaimie Lee Peterson, Heather Michel Riddle, Emma Jane Royer, Angelina Salgado, Jennifer Scuro, Meghan Szidik, and Crystal Tursich

theme of today: with

No one can get through infertility alone. It takes a village. So to my husband (my village), I say thank you. When the weight of this journey felt too heavy to carry, you were there. Thank you for holding me when the tears and heartbreak came, for giving me almost all of my shots, for accompanying me to appointments and surgeries, and validating my feelings throughout our journey. Through every cycle of hope and heartbreak, you reminded me that I was more than the struggle — and that together, we were stronger than it. You are my rock, my refuge, and my greatest blessing.

If you feel alone in your struggle, please know you are not. There are so many resources for you to help navigate through the journey. I turned to friends who had experienced the same thing. From them, I learned what questions to ask at my IVF clinic. And when our nurses and doctors became our friends, I became more comfortable advocating for myself. I followed ttc accounts on Instagram to get ideas and inspiration. I started Dear Coco Design, my creative outlet. Hearing each one of your stories about how your embryo came into existence is my comfort as well, reiterating that I’m not alone.
You are braver than you know, and your story matters. Keep holding on to hope — your village is out here, and we’re walking this road WITH YOU.
📸:

It’s National Infertility Awareness Week! challenges each one of us to share the struggles, milestones and challenges we still face… reminding us it’s

After a few years of marriage, we were left with some choices to make. Thank god we had insurance coverage from the great state of Illinois where the Infertility Mandate allowed us to choose our journey to parenthood. Here’s a glimpse into the past 12 years:

2013: Failed IUI, another failed IUI
2014: Retrieval, failed IVF transfer, retrieval, twin miscarriage
2015: Retrieval, transfer and…
2016: Dear Daughter No. 1
2017-2019: No insurance coverage for infertility as my IL employer opted out of it (no, it’s not an automatic guarantee like many think)
2020: coverage again! Retrieval, failed transfer, miscarriage, miscarriage, retrieval
2021: ectopic pregnancy, miscarriage
2022: failed transfer
2023: transfer and…
2024: Dear Daughter No. 2

And today? We are complete as an official “party of four”. I was tubeless at 32, so my uterus is currently worthless and will be officially getting the boot. My body would not sustain another pregnancy easily, given my history of preeclampsia, postpartum preeclampsia, and gestational hypertension.

I’ll always be haunted by our journey. That’s a story for another day. But for now, I’ll stare in awe at our two girls and their 6 angels.

Our two miracles of IVF. Forever grateful 💕