24/08/2021
I don't always share these things or ask y'all to support causes, but today I'm going to. This one is close to my heart and I'm asking you to help this couple become parents. So go forth, my friends, and READ!
A group of my author friends have gathered together to help a couple become parents... you can help them out by BUYING or READING their books before August 31st! The proceeds will be donated to Andrea and Blair's surrogacy fund.
It doesn't matter if it's a purchased book or read in Kindle Unlimited, proceeds will be donated to the family to help them achieve their dream.
Check out all of these books by going to https://linktr.ee/readforacause
Now... on to my soapbox. Give me a sec, I'm short. Okay. If you don't know why I'm asking you to help out here, keep reading. I'm gonna try and keep it short.
As most of you know, my husband and I cannot have biological children. Being told, "you can't" to one of the most basic yet profound biological feats humans can achieve is the worst kind of pain I have ever felt. Hearing, "You have a zero percent chance of having biological children," is one of those moments which will forever be seared into my heart and mind. I can viscerally recall every detail: the way my stomach revolted against my recently eaten sandwich, the sun beating through the windshield, my mind simply blanking.... I could go on, but I won't.
And in the midst of that heartache, while we were still reeling from shock, the next bomb was dropped: "If you still want to have children, your options are..."
If we still want to have children: our first decision.
Then you have options: our second. But while these options are put forth in terms like adoption, IVF, and surrogacy, what we were really being told was if we still chose to become parents it would involve "more time, more money, more risk." Saying yes to children was no longer as easy as many pleasurable trysts between the sheets... it became a business proposition, as impersonal and detached as data collection and risk analysis.
It took time: a year of soul-searching, prayer, and counseling, followed by another year of waiting to meet our son.
It took money: I actually stopped keeping track after we hit 10k in debt... that's after we exhausted our emergency fund and general savings.
It took risk: once you can't have children naturally, everything from your past mistakes to your BMI is taken into consideration to see if you "qualify" to have children. Yes, I am too fat to adopt from certain places, too depressed to adopt from others.
I tell you this to paint a picture of why this cause is important to me. While Mr. Nott and I chose adoption as the right path to parenthood, that doesn't mean it is right for everyone. Andrea and Blair have done their soul-searching and chosen surrogacy as the right option for their family. While their path is different, our journeys are still so similar and I imagine the emotions, cost, and time involved are much the same. It is for this reason that I am asking y'all to help out. Just by doing what you love, by reading some amazing books, you can help this family get that much closer to becoming parents.
Anyway... you don't have to stick around while I climb off this damn box, but I want to thank you for reading if you made it this far. This one means a lot to me. And I really hope you spend a couple bucks or a couple hours to pick up one of these books and support a good cause.
Happy reading!
