Couple Turns to Internet to Finance Fertility
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iStockphoto/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) — After getting married in 2012, Kripa and Erin Pizzorno knew they wanted to have a child but had difficulty getting pregnant.
“At first I did start to feel broken,” Erin told ABC’s Good Morning America. “That something inside of me wasn’t working, so I must be broken.”
When the couple, both in their 30s and living in California, realized they would need the help of in vitro fertilisation treatments, they took the saying “It takes a village to raise a child” to heart. The Pizzornos turned to strangers on the Internet to raise money.
IFV can cost anywhere from $12,000 to $20,000 per cycle, according to ABC News’ senior medical contributor Dr. Jennifer Ashton.
The Pizzornos need help to get there.
“We basically knew that we couldn’t do this on our own,” Erin said. “We knew we needed something strong.”
The Pizzornos placed their story on YouCaring.com, a free website that allows users to raise money for all kinds of causes.
The concept is part of the “crowdfunding” network made popular by the website Kickstarter.com, which has been used to launch businesses and even a new movie based on the popular TV show Veronica Mars.
The Pizzornos have raised $4,500 toward their $18,000 goal on YouCaring.com.
“People that have a lot of love for us have reshared it and said, ‘Please help them. We want them to have a baby,’” Kripa aid.
Vanessa Bell, of the parenting website Babyzone.com, had never heard of crowdfunding for fertility treatments until she came across the Pizzornos’ page on YouCaring.com and decided to contribute.
“I’m a huge advocate for social media,” Bell said. “I definitely think it’s an option for moms that are struggling to conceive.”
Copyright 2013 ABC News Radio