Help Obtain Infertility Treatment Coverage For British Columbians

A Canadian's 'Prayer' for Infertility Awareness

Everyday, over a half million Canadians are grieving. It's not the same grief you feel when you lose a loved one, it doesn't get better with time. For those dealing with Infertility, grief reverses, time doesn't heal all pain, it increases. Infertility is a disease of the body that becomes an illness of the heart, the mind. It becomes so emotionally crippling that just being with other family members or out in public can become devastating. It is a silent disease; there are no brave voices to stand up for us. Everyday we are faced with ignorance: people unaware they're making hurtful comments and giving meaningless advice, politicians promising help for families and those needing healthcare but leaving those behind who have a hurdle between them and a loving family and being refused public healthcare for treatment of a devastating health condition.

Because our disease is rejected as being something medically necessary, it also becomes a disease of finances for low and middle income 'families' (though that statement should read 'households', since we are denied a family). This is a disease, not an aesthetic problem; it is a tear in the fabric of life! All living things are on this earth for the sole purpose of giving life, passing on genes. All our behaviours are set up to create a family.

Just like wolf without a pack, those who crave family suffer alone, and lost without the love of the many generations a family can provide. In nature, if you don't reproduce, you die. In our world, if you don't reproduce, you'd better have a big pocketbook or you'll suffer a long life of hopelessness.

Our 'prayer' is that society will take notice and reach out a helping hand to treat this disease as a whole. We need funding so that specialists can work with our family physicians to give the best care possible, just like any other condition is treated through our health care system. We need grief counselling to cope through this emotionally taxing process. We need the support of communities, we need education and awareness. I believe everyone has a right to have a family, not just based on financial status or a disease free body. Our 'prayer' is that you will help us.