• Infertility affects 1 in 8 women.
• Yearly, approximately 7.3 million Americans seek help for fertility problems.
• Although infertility is a medical condition, most insurance companies do NOT cover treatments which can cost thousands of dollars.
• The effects of infertility are far-reaching, both physical and emotional, and touching both the “victim†, the partner, and beyond to the entire family.
BABY QUEST FOUNDATION is a 501 c (3) charitable organization whose goal is to grant financial assistance to those who cannot afford the high cost of procedures such as egg and sperm donation, egg freezing, artificial insemination, in vitro fertilization, and gestational surrogacy.
After watching her daughter endure years of unsuccessful treatments to conceive, Brentwood resident, Pamela Hirsch, became aware of the inequities in the world of assisted reproduction – how the solutions exist only if you can afford to pay out of pocket. With financial support from family, the end result was a happy one for Pamela’s daughter and son-in-law with the birth of two children via surrogacy.
However, for so many others, hearing the cost of an infertility procedure is the “end of a journey†because of a lack of finances. This prompted Pamela and her daughter, Nicole Lawson, to establish BabyQuest in 2011. Since its inception, the foundation has awarded nine grants to recipients throughout the United States.
The first Baby Quest baby was born in March 2013, to Amanda and Stephen from Reno, Nevada. As Amanda said, “The most precious little face looks up at me and the emptiness in my heart that infertility causes has been filled with love, joy, and eternal gratefulness. Baby Quest gave us a renewed hope in humanity, a new life, and, for me, a new identity….Motherâ€
The foundation is now proud to announce two more pregnancies in Oregon and in Arkansas.
Twice yearly, Baby Quest awards grants. Applicants must submit medical, financial, and psychological information. An impressive Board of Directors comprised of top reproductive endocrinologists, family formation attorneys, and financial experts studies the submissions before grant selections are chosen from the hundreds of applications.
To learn more about Baby Quest, visit the website: www.babyquestfoundation.org. The charity also has a presence on Facebook and Twitter and has been featured on recent radio shows and infertility conference discussion panels.
To maintain their success, Baby Quest Foundation relies on tax-deductible donations of any amount. Donations can be made on the website or by mailing a contribution to P.O. Box 5603, Sherman Oaks, CA 91413.
If you or someone you know has been affected by infertility or if you cannot imagine life without your children or grandchildren, we hope you will support this endeavor. Thank you.
