STURGIS, Mich. — Ranah Cunningham is grateful to finally have a daughter after spending nearly $40,000 and several years trying to have a baby.
For Cunningham, the turning point came after entering The Fertility Center's "Fertility Diaries" contest.
The essay contest awards thousands of dollars in prizes to couples dealing with infertility.
"I told my husband, I'm like, 'I don't know, I don't ever win anything. I don't know if I should take the time to do this.' And he's like, 'what would it hurt? Just try.' So I wrote up my story and send it in," she recalled. "I still remember getting the call, and how emotional I was and just how grateful I felt, and how I felt like there was finally some hope."
Cunningham and her husband needed hope after a journey filled with heartbreak.
The pair sought help from The Fertility Center in December 2020 and quickly learned Ranah needed surgery.
"[The doctor] found polyps in my uterus and diagnosed me with endometriosis. And he found a hydrosalpinx, which was affecting the entirety of my left tube," she explained. "I woke up pretty, pretty shell shocked from that...going in not really knowing what to expect and coming out, losing a tube was really devastating."
Ranah went on to become pregnant but soon discovered there was a complication.
"I started having some pain and some spotting," she explained. "So, we did an early ultrasound at five weeks and found out it was ectopic in my right tube, so I had to have my right tube removed and the baby essentially."
Ranah and her husband began the process of in vitro fertilization (IVF) in June 2021.
She underwent an egg retrieval and two embryo transfers with no success, before entering the contest in April 2022 and winning $5,000 to continue treatment.
The third time was the charm. Ranah gave birth to a healthy baby girl in January 2023.
"Once I seen her little face, all I did was cry. She was so sweet, a little peanut. It was worth every single shot. It was worth all of the crying, all of the pain. It's so indescribable."
The Fertility Diaries contest is open to everyone— you do not need to be a previous or current client of The Fertility Center to enter.
Submissions must be in by 11:59 p.m. on April 15, 2023.
Winners will be announced at the end of the month to coincide with National Infertility Awareness Week (NIAW).
Infertility affects one in eight couples. NIAW and The Fertility Diaries contest aim to raise awareness and let other couples know they are not alone.
Since 2013, there have been 15 contest winners and more than $97,000 thousand awarded through The Fertility Diaries.
To learn more click here.
