Alana & Octavio's IVF Journey

My name is Alana Guzman, and I am 35 years old, living in Cottage Grove, Minnesota, with my loving husband, Octavio, and our three children. I am grateful for the opportunity to share our story and the hope we have of growing our family through IVF. Several years ago, after the birth of my youngest daughter, I experienced one of the darkest chapters of my life. My pregnancy had been complicated by recurring ovarian cysts, and I was also living in an emotionally and physically abusive relationship. After giving birth, I was abandoned in the hospital by my former partner and left to navigate motherhood, fear, and major medical decisions on my own. I struggled with postpartum depression, feeling overwhelmed by the uncertainty of my future while trying to be strong for my newborn and my other children. During that same time, my OB-GYN recommended surgery to remove my ovarian cysts and both of my fallopian tubes because of my ongoing gynecological complications and concerns about my long-term reproductive health. Believing I was making the best decision to protect my health and continue being there for my children, I agreed to the procedure. At the time, I did not fully understand the permanent impact it would have on my fertility or the grief I would later experience from losing the ability to conceive naturally. Recovering from surgery while battling postpartum depression and rebuilding my life as a single mother was incredibly difficult. There were days when simply getting out of bed felt impossible, but my children gave me the strength to keep moving forward. Over time, with support and determination, I found healing. That experience taught me resilience, compassion, and the importance of never giving up, even when life feels overwhelming. Four years ago, I met the man who is now my husband. From the beginning, Octavio embraced not only me but also my three children with unconditional love. Although they are not biologically his, he has never treated them any differently. He has been the father who comforts them when they are sick, celebrates their accomplishments, helps with homework, attends school events, and reminds them every day how deeply they are loved. Watching him step into this role so naturally has been one of the greatest blessings of my life. Seeing the relationship he has built with my children has made me dream of experiencing parenthood together from the very beginning. I want him to know the joy of seeing a positive pregnancy test, hearing his baby's heartbeat for the first time, attending prenatal appointments, preparing a nursery, and holding his newborn child in his arms. While he has lovingly raised my children as his own, I long for him to experience becoming a father from the very first moment. Because my fallopian tubes were removed, IVF is our only opportunity to have a biological child together. Unfortunately, the financial cost of treatment is beyond what we can reasonably afford while raising three children and meeting the responsibilities of everyday life. Like many families, we have had to place this dream on hold because of the overwhelming expense. Receiving this grant would mean so much more than financial assistance. It would provide us with hope and the opportunity to build the future we have envisioned together. Our home is already filled with love, laughter, and stability, and we know another child would be welcomed into a family that is ready to provide endless support, encouragement, and unconditional love. Looking back, I never imagined that surviving abuse, postpartum depression, infertility, and the loss of my fertility would become part of my story. Those experiences changed me, but they did not define me. Instead, they strengthened my appreciation for family, perseverance, and second chances. Today, I have built a safe, loving home with a husband who has become an incredible father to my children and a partner who has stood beside me through every challenge. Thank you for taking the time to read our story and consider our application. This grant would represent far more than assistance with fertility treatment—it would give us the opportunity to fulfill a dream that has grown stronger with each passing year. We remain hopeful that one day we will welcome a child together and continue building the loving family we have worked so hard to create.

How we'll use the funds: If awarded, the grant funds would be used to help cover the out-of-pocket costs of IVF treatment through CRM. Because our insurance does not provide coverage for fertility treatment, every aspect of the IVF process must be paid for by our family.

The grant would help cover essential components of our treatment plan, including fertility medications, baseline and monitoring appointments, ultrasounds, blood work, egg retrieval, anesthesia, laboratory services, embryo fertilization and culture, embryo transfer, and any additional procedures recommended by our care team. It would also help offset the cost of embryo cryopreservation and storage if applicable.

Without insurance coverage, the financial cost of IVF is our greatest obstacle to building our family. We have spent years creating a loving, stable home for our three children, but the high cost of treatment has made pursuing IVF incredibly difficult. Receiving this grant would ease a significant financial burden and allow us to move forward with treatment much sooner than we could on our own.

This grant would do more than help pay for medical expenses—it would give us the opportunity to pursue our dream of having a biological child together. Every dollar would go directly toward our IVF treatment at CCRM, bringing us one step closer to growing the family we have always hoped for.