Amber and Luis: Two Therapists Ready to Become Parents
After years of caring for other people's children, they are dreaming of one to call their own.
Amber and Luis found each other in their mid-30s, after each waited a long time for true love. They came into their marriage with full hearts and one shared dream: to become parents together. Amber's twin sister, Crystal, is the one telling their story, and she describes a couple whose whole lives have pointed toward this moment.
A Life Spent Caring for Kids
Both Amber and Luis are therapists, and children have always been at the center of their work. Luis spent 5.5 years as a special education teacher and 1.5 years as a teacher's aide before moving into therapy, where he has worked mostly with children and adolescents. He was also a Big Brother for 10 years through Big Brothers Big Sisters. Amber has babysat for years, cared for children with disabilities from military families during grad school, worked with underprivileged kids at a local nonprofit, and supported children with cancer after finishing her degree. Helping, nurturing, and advocating for kids is simply who they are.
Now they are ready to pour that same love into a child of their own.
The Road So Far
Their path has not been easy. Amber is navigating health challenges, including insulin-resistant polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome (PMOS, formerly known as PCOS) and Hashimoto's thyroiditis. After 2 years of trying, they have never seen a positive pregnancy test. Both Amber and Luis carry the weight of past abusive marriages, which makes the family they are trying to build together feel that much more precious.
They have already invested thousands of their own dollars into this fertility journey and are moving forward with IVF: eggs retrieved from Amber, fertilized with Luis's sperm, and an embryo transferred back with the hope of pregnancy. Amber is 38, and while the general odds per cycle and the added support of PGT-A testing offer real reason for hope, nothing about IVF is guaranteed. They are in therapy, leaning on each other, and holding steady through the highs and lows.
Why the Cost Feels So Heavy
Building a family through IVF is expensive, emotionally and financially, and many families discover, as Amber and Luis did, that insurance simply does not cover it. That gap can put parenthood out of reach for people who have love and readiness in abundance. This is where community makes a difference. When friends, family, and even strangers step in, they lift some of that weight and remind hopeful parents that they are not walking this road alone.
How You Can Help
If Amber and Luis's story moves you, take a moment to read their fundraiser and chip in what you can. Every contribution, of any size, brings them closer to the child they have been dreaming of and eases a little of the financial pressure along the way. Thank you for holding them in your heart.
From the publisher
You don't have to carry the cost alone.
Gift of Parenthood awards a $20,000 Family Fund grant each cycle and helps families fundraise for IVF, surrogacy, and adoption. If this is your journey, there's a place to start.