The Walk of Hope

"The name "Walk of Hope" embodies the emotion that most people living with infertility feel. They are hopeful their dreams of family come true. Some hope to simply find a peaceful resolution to their infertility journey. A Walk of Hope is an event that represents the infertility journey—a series of small steps, each one filled with hope and a reminder that no one should walk on this journey alone." source

On Saturday the 20th, I went to Resolve's Nor Cal Walk of Hope and it was an awesome experience. For those who don't know, Resolve is The National Infertility Association. They provide support and resources to people with infertility, treatment, those who have experienced a loss, those going through adoption, resources for friends, family members and so much more. They are an awesome resource and advocate for those struggling with infertility.

I got to the State Capitol at 9am and met up with my sister and niece, checked in and then walked around a bit. There were booths for the local IF clinics and they were giving out all kinds of free gifts; water bottles, t-shirts, pens and paper, reusable grocery bags with their logos on them and Resolve was giving away free FRERs and OPKs! There were also booths for support groups, and a booth for The Art of IF.

 

 

Then, a new friend Janell, met up with us. It was really nice to meet someone in real life who is going through all this and understands the struggles and ups and downs of infertility.

Around 10am The Resolve staff and MC for the event started the rally and the Sac State cheerleaders got everyone warmed up for the walk. There were prizes awarded to the team with the most people, best dressed fur baby and the team that raised the most money for Resolve. Then it was time for the walk to begin. Everyone lined up with their teams and walked through a big group of cheerleaders cheering us on. It was like at a football game, when they announce the players and they run through the double lines of cheerleaders - pretty cool!

One of the cool things was that there were women with babies and pregnant women there as well. One of the pregnant women was wearing a shirt that read: "5 Years and 4 Cycles of IVF" it was written across her baby bump. The back of her shirt read: "Don't ever give up." I love to see that those who have struggled with IF hold the rest of us and our feelings in their hearts. We are still supported and cheered on by those who have finally had success.

It was a really cool experience and I am honored to have been able to take part in such an awesome event.