Robin's Letter

Dear Dr. Scheiber, Dr. Awadalla and the wonderful registered nurses, coordinators and technicians who serve their patients.

As I write, it is much too soon to know if our combined efforts to get pregnant have succeeded. Nevertheless, Tom and I want to share the following with you. When contemplating the prospects of parenthood, one doesn’t normally imagine more than two people (count: one husband, one wife) involved in the sweet and intimate beginnings. Perhaps if we had committed to the process of baby making years ago it might have been as simple as "Tom and Robin, sitting in a tree k-i-s-s-i-n-g." But alas, we only began dating in December of ‘98 and married in September of last year. At forty-one and forty-three respectively, Tom and I have learned swiftly how very complicated reproduction can be. And we now know the debt we owe to each of you, the dedicated professionals who do all in your power to guide us through the strange and sophisticated world of infertility.

De. Scheiber, thank you for our initial meeting (and successive ones), for putting lousy statistics aside and agreeing to lend us your expert hands. I acclimated quickly to how you and Dr. Awadalla share your patients and felt often like I had the benefit of two minds rather than one. Better...thank you. (And I did miss you!!!!)

Thank you Sheila for outlining the Center’s financial expectations and demanding we supply lists of which procedures our insurance coverage included. These thorough requirements introduced early on helped us to put the focus where it belonged (preparation for conception) and not on the very realistic yet often overwhelming costs. You each deserve every bit of compensation you receive. Thank you for an efficient practice thereby making the many scheduled appointments (sonograms, blood tests, etc.) as pleasant and stress free as possible.

We extend a special thank you to the amazing cadre of nurses who gently empathize and allow for hormonally and circumstantially charged "feelings". We’d like to also mention their patience with the many questions we posed: How many cc’s should I give myself? Wait...what syringe? Which gauge needle? In my belly? Oh no, I put my Gonal-F in my thigh! Ahhhhhhhhhhh!

We can only imagine the painstaking labor of those of you in the lab whose efforts inform the doctors and our decisions. You are instrumental in making the "ultimate" merger possible. You have our gratitude for your tender behind-the-scenes care.

Thank you for our very recent in-vitro fertilization. Our two outpatient experiences at Christ Hospital were excellent. Dr. Awadalla, to the best of our knowledge, your work was flawless. I can’t recall a thing about the retrieval (good drugs!) and the transfer to my uterus of our five zygotes was a painless swoosh! Dr. Awadalla, thank you for your upbeat energy and deft skill in both procedures.

We applaud heartily the nurses of the Center for Reproductive Studies, in particular our nurses for the big retrieval day: Terry and Peggy Hainley, whom I had the pleasure of meeting at Dr. Chin’s office. We so appreciated your obvious nursing expertise and your constant attention and concern for our well-being. Our heartfelt thanks to you, ladies.

In summary, since we began with all of you almost eight weeks ago, our experience has been a highly positive one. And until the 24th of March we hold hope for a positive result. If that isn’t the case, our only wish will be to continue with you, exploring how to best go forward in our endeavor to be parents.

With much respect, affection and appreciation,

Robin