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FINDING YOUR NEW ‘PLAN A’
In our February issue, Sophie Sulehria (below) wrote movingly and honestly about her decision to give up on IVF after a series of failed treatments. It was a story of heartbreak and pushing forward that struck a chord with many of you.
Amy Currell wrote, ‘Being in a same-sex marriage has left my wife and I undergoing intrauterine insemination (IUI) to make a family. We’ve had three unsuccessful attempts, which have been some of the hardest times in our lives. We know we have a long road ahead, which may or may not lead us to a family.
‘I read your article to my wife; we cried and felt our own pain being read aloud, which was comforting in some ways. If it doesn’t work, we’ll find a new plan A, we’ll stay strong, we will move forward and we will be happy. Your article has given us more hope than you could know.’
The piece also took Neela Prabhu back to her own difficult experience. ‘I have been lucky and now have two daughters from IVF,’ she said. ‘It took me right back to the pain, struggle and judgement. The more we talk about it, hopefully the stigma will fade.’
@Rusanghera tweeted, ‘Fabulous @sophiesulehria I can’t tell you how much reading your article has lifted me. Hope you find your new plan A.’
@anyasizer tweeted, ‘Brilliant article @Redmagdaily by @sophiesulehria when #IVF doesn’t work. We need more people like you being honest and real, thank you.’
@Hetheringtonc tweeted, ‘Wonderful article Sophie, and articulates the struggle and toll fertility takes on you as an individual and as a couple.’
Also in the February issue, author Laura Jane Williams spoke about redefining her own success – measuring it not only in terms of career, but also in the strength of her close relationships.
CJ Gaydon Chilton wrote to say how much she identified with this.
She said, ‘I’ve put my career first for 37 years, at the expense of marriages and having children, and it has taken me until age 55 to think “what was THAT all about!”’
‘I agree with Laura Jane that work can still be integral to who you are, but there are so many other ways to prove your worth – and family, friends and social life should not have to suffer along the way.
‘Someone once told me that at funerals the main thing people talk about and remember is whether the person was liked and loved, not what they achieved in their career.’