war·ri·or
Pronunciation:ˈwȯr-yər, ˈwȯr-ē-ər, ˈwär-ē- also ˈwär-yər
n.
2. One who is engaged aggressively or energetically in an activity, cause, or conflict
You know who you are! You’ve been enmeshed in the infertility battle duking it out body and soul. Or, unlike the woman I wrote about in my last post, you are warriors who have been there for colleagues, relatives, friends and neighbors. You care.
For a limited time you can get (for free) a magnet sticker with the Infertility Awareness logo and the phrase “Millions struggle in silence” from Patrice, who is making them available from her Infertility Warrior website.
I’m also pleased to announce that the second edition of Exhale is now available online. In addition to a male perspective, one of my favorite writers, Christina, has joined as an infertility book/blog reviewer. Amid the many thought-provoking contributions in this issue, you’ll also find my column, A Foreigner Among Peers. It attempts to convey the weirdness of being the only non-mom in a gathering of moms. You can learn about how to contribute your own essay, poem, or visual here.
Meanwhile, I’ve been working on a image to convey the non-linear experience of confronting infertility. How did I do?
January 16, 2009 8:19 pm
Yep, you got it, Pamela Jeanne. That schematic captures it.
January 16, 2009 9:23 pm
Thanks for the props, Pamela! I love your non-linear experience graphic. It’s perfect.
January 17, 2009 12:29 am
How did you do that? That’s crazy.
January 17, 2009 4:20 pm
Love the graphic. I’m viewing the question mark as the beginning of the rest of my life. Time to make a NEW LIFE PICTURE to hang on the wall. Also, loved your entry at EXHALE. Once again, it’s good to know we are not alone in our daily ‘happenings.’
January 18, 2009 5:06 am
I’d say your graphic is spot on.
January 19, 2009 2:38 am
Yes, the graphic is perfect. The infertility “decision tree” in a nutshell!
January 19, 2009 12:44 pm
Yes, quite an appropriate diagram. Especially the question mark at the end and the squiggly bits before you get to the next crossroads.
Bea
January 19, 2009 5:08 pm
In between moments where I allow myself to visit with friends and family, exercise, talk about mundane things, I constantly return to my computer to read other’s blogs, to search and search for ART news. I was just reading through ART articles in the New Atlantis http://www.thenewatlantis.com/publications/sessionID.450380552/browse_bytopic_list.asp
ever trying to figure out what to do next, gain perspective and wondering what I could/should have done differently and when. Wondering why my quest was fruitless, why I gave up trying for years and got sucked up into trying one more time without success. Then reading these articles I realize that even donor eggs would not mean an endpoint but a question mark. I am trying to be positive but at the end of the day i feel like i am expected to move on, make decisions that all lead to more uncertainty but my brain keeps rewinding through all those twists, turns, loops and breaks that your graphic suggests. Maybe it’s because all decisions in my case lead to more of the same.
January 21, 2009 12:04 am
Pam — I saw this article in the Well section in today’s New York Times and liked it, it doesn’t deal with infertility, but does present a silver lining to (some of) us who are infertile. Basically, the article says that having kids really wrecks marriages! Huh … who knew? http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/20/health/20well.html?em
January 21, 2009 4:40 am
But don’t read the comments! Some are obnoxious.
January 21, 2009 2:52 pm
Thanks, Lynn, for pointing this piece out…the comments prove once again that those who have an abundance of riches (and choices) feel perfectly at ease complaining.