Milford Women Co-Chairs RESOLVE New England Walk of Hope & Walks for the Infertility Community

On Sunday, September 18, hundreds of men and women will be joining RESOLVE New England and RESOLVE: The National Infertility Association for the second annual Walk of Hope at the Endicott Estate in Dedham. Both organizations are nonprofits dedicated to education, support and advocacy for people living with infertility who are trying to build their families.

The Walk of Hope is the groups’ signature fundraising event: one morning to walk one mile to unite one community. The Walk of Hope recognizes the many ways in which families are built, supports local support services and programs for the 312,000 women and men living with infertility in New England, and raises public understanding of how the disease of infertility impacts families.

Heidi Gordon of Milford is the co-chair of the New England Walk of Hope. In her own words, she expresses why she is walking and what the Walk means to her and her family.

“Our family building journey began shortly after my husband and I married, when I was 36 years old. Having always had difficult periods, and being over 35, I suspected it wouldn't be easy. After six unsuccessful months of trying on our own, we decided to seek the help of a reproductive endocrinologist. Two years later, our infertility remained unexplained and the treatments were still unsuccessful. Having exhausted our insurance coverage, and feeling emotionally drained, we decided to take a break. Those two years were very lonely for me, as none of my close friends had experienced infertility. They could be empathetic but didn't truly understand; I needed people who had "been there." I attended a RESOLVE New England support group and felt instantly at ease with women who were strangers to me, but at the same time knew all too well the deep pain in my heart.

During our break in treatment, we decided that, to us, being parents was more important than being pregnant and so we began considering adoption. We attended RESOLVE New England's annual Fertility Treatment, Donor Choices and Adoption and conference in the fall of 2013, focusing on adoption seminars. At the conference, we also met a representative from a different fertility clinic, and ultimately decided to pursue a second opinion while going through the approval process for adoption. The new reproductive endocrinologist recommended surgery for me, which finally ended years of pain. We were lucky to be matched with birth parents not long after being approved as prospective adoptive parents, and in April of 2014 we welcomed our son. The joy of motherhood was finally mine!

In early 2015, we began to discuss adding to our family. We decided to try one round of IVF with the second doctor before pursuing another adoption. Much to my shock and amazement, I became pregnant and our second son was born in early 2016.

Infertility has profoundly affected my life. Though I have achieved my dream of being a mother, it pains me to think of all of the individuals still struggling. While I was "in the trenches," RESOLVE was a crucial link to the support and education that I needed. It is my turn to give back to the organization that gave me so much. Participating in the first RESOLVE New England Walk of Hope in 2015 was exciting and empowering. This year, I am honored to be co-chairing and growing this event to support the infertility community."

The New England Walk of Hope is looking for walkers and volunteers for this important, inspirational and fun event. If you or someone you know is part of the 1 in 8 who suffer from the disease of infertility, please consider joining us on September 18. For more information, visit www.resolve.org/newenglandwalk or www.resolvenewengland.org.

I hope you’ll come join us!