Celine Dion is Pregnant - What Does this Have to Do with Cancer?

Celine Dion and her husband, René Angélil, recently announced that they are pregnant with their second child, conceived with the help of fertility doctors in New York. Her husband is a cancer survivor and years ago there were alleged reports of him banking sperm and/or them banking embryos before he started his cancer treatments. Regardless of how they go here, I am thrilled to see another survivor and his wife build the family of their dreams!

Do you have a story to share?

What do FitPregnancy, Project Runway & Fertile Hope Have in Common?

Fit Pregnancy is hosting a live online auction of the maternity dress designed by Project Runway winner Christian Siriano to benefit Fertile Hope!

The gorgeous dress is featured on the current cover of FitPregnancy (pictured here). The exclusive design is a creation of Project Runway season four winner Christian Siriano, based on his new Fierce Mamas for Moody Mamas line. The dress will be custom-made for the highest bidder by the designers behind Moody Mamas, Marta Abrams and Elise Rosemarin.

Proceeds will benefit Fertile Hope - which means it is a guilt-free purchase! Start bidding now!

Government Funding Available for Fertility Preservation Research

The NICHD, NIOSH and CDC published a new fertility preservation request for applications titled Fertility Preservation Research: Advancing Beyond Technology.

We have been advocating for this for years and are thrilled to see it come to fruition! Not only is this an excellent funding opportunity, but it is an amazing milestone for this field of research.

Learn more and apply (and let us know how Fertile Hope can help!)!

Cancer & Fertility in People Magazine

I was thrilled to see the story about cancer and fertility in People magazine this week!

The story profiles Chris Biblis, a cancer survivor and new dad. Thanks to his mom's advice, Chris banked his sperm prior to chemo and radiation when he was 16 - 22 years ago - and he now has a bounching baby girl, Stella. Chris' case is only one of three documented using sperm that is more than 20 years old, which addresses one of the top questions we receive: how long can my sperm (or eggs or embryos or ovarian tissue) be frozen?

Chris is quoted in the article saying: "I'm the luckiest person!" I feel the same way! Anyone else out there with a story like this to share?

Fertile Hope Programs & Services Acquired by LIVESTRONG

Fertile Hope is pleased to announce its’ programs and services have been acquired by the Lance Armstrong Foundation (LAF).

The decision to pass along Fertile Hope – my life’s work and the organization that helped me fulfill my own parenthood dreams – was not made lightly. The LAF’s commitment to join forces and leverage the LIVESTRONG platform for fertility represents a powerful next step in the evolution of Fertile Hope, and an opportunity to better meet the reproductive needs of cancer patients and survivors going forward.

We plan to work diligently over the next 6 months to strategize on the best ways to leverage both organizations’ strengths to best meet the reproductive needs of cancer patients and survivors. We look forward to unveiling our plans in the near future. In the meantime, the LAF will maintain critical Fertile Hope programs including the website, hotline, financial assistance program (Sharing Hope) and brochure order fulfillment. You can continue to access our services as you always have online or by calling (866) 994-HOPE.

This is truly a historic moment for the organization and we welcome your ideas as we embark on great things. Read more…

Exciting Plans in the Works...

Fertile Hope is thrilled to announce that we are pursuing an alignment with a national, cancer-related, nonprofit organization. We are proud to have achieved phase one of our mission and are excited to unveil plans to work towards achieving phase two through a strategic alliance.

During this transition, we are pleased to be working with the Lance Armstrong Foundation to continue to administer our Hotline as well as our Sharing Hope financial assistance program. Please be aware, however, that a few of our programs are currently on-hold, including Centers of Excellence and Professional Education.

We remain committed to our mission of addressing the profound needs of cancer patients whose medical treatments present the risk of infertility and appreciate your patience during this transition. We are excited to share our plans in the near future.

News Flash - Cancer and Fertility in the New York Times Today

The New York Times published "Family Planning When Cancer Intrudes" today. I am thrilled that they are supporting Fertile Hope's mission by raising awareness about cancer and fertility, but also frustrated by a number of inaccuracies and misleading statements in the article. Bittersweet...

What do you think of the article?