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9.30.24 Voter Empowerment Alert
September 30, 2024
What are my voting rights exactly? Know your voter rights so you’ll feel confident and unshakable when you go to cast your ballot.
Your Health Unlocked Episodes
Publication Date: March 06, 2023
By: NWHN Staff
In Part 1 of Anna Frank’s honest and emotional infertility story, we learned about her experiences with IVF and the challenging complications she faced along the way, including a devastating pregnancy loss.
In what can only be described as an unbelievable test of resilience, the remainder of Anna’s remarkable story is filled with grief, anguish, and miraculous strength. In Part 2 of Anna’s story, we learn about the consequences of her heartbreaking HELLP diagnosis and the inspirational story of a best friend who went out of her way to ensure a happy ending to Anna’s birth journey.
For someone who is diagnosed as infertile, the path to holding your baby in your arms can be a turbulent one, with many unexpected twists and turns. Nobody knows that better than Anna Frank, who shares with us just how all-consuming the process is.
After suffering two heartbreaking losses, Anna decided to explore the route of surrogacy. According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 17,000 births took place by surrogate in the United States in 2019, steadily growing at 15% per year.
Anna lives in Dallas with her husband, Steve, and two daughters. She works in risk management and compliance for a large bank. Anna is also on the Board of The Ruth Cheatham Foundation – a non-profit that supports teens who have fought or are fighting cancer and provides scholarships and support for college.
Anna and Steve suffered five agonizing years of infertility, which included a mixture of medications, IUIs, IVF cycles, a miscarriage at eight weeks, and the loss of a daughter at 24.5 weeks as a result of early onset pre-eclampsia and HELLP syndrome.
Following this, they began exploring alternative options, including domestic infant adoption and surrogacy. While Anna and Steve found success through surrogacy, they are aware that not everyone battling with infertility has the same happy ending that they did.
Anna’s journey and experiences ignited her passion for supporting, helping, and acting as a sounding board for friends and strangers who may be suffering infertility or pregnancy loss. Through sharing the intimate details of her story, she wants to give hope to others going through the same and help them feel less alone.
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Find out more about the Gladney Center for Adoption here