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Fertile Hope
Cancer Patients and Fertility
By Teri Brown
Joyce Dillon-Reinecke also wishes she had been able to find an organization like Fertile Hope when she was diagnosed with leiomyosarcoma, a rare form of soft-tissue cancer found in her stomach. She had to have major surgery on her stomach and the surrounding lymph nodes and was advised to undergo chemotherapy treatments. As almost an afterthought, a staff oncologist mentioned to Dillon-Reinecke the chemotherapy would probably leave her infertile. Until that point the possibility had not been conveyed to her in any way.
"I was shocked that my oncologist knew so little about what impact particular chemotherapy agents would have on my fertility," says Dillon-Reinecke. "When we were first discussing a course of treatment, I tried to find out which agents could possibly be avoided or which ones might be less toxic to my reproductive system, but I wasn't able to get clear answers."
While waiting for her cancer treatments to begin, Dillon-Reinecke went to the Cornell Institute for Reproductive Medicine for in vitro fertilization treatments. Dillon-Reinecke and her husband had 17 embryos put away for future use. Once they had finished making the necessary cancer treatment decisions, they were ready to make decisions regarding starting their family.
Worried that reoccurrence would push their timeline out too far, Dillon-Reinecke and her husband chose to have their embryos carried by a surrogate mother. Now blessed with twin girls, Dillon-Reinecke, is the program director for Fertile Hope.
"Fertile Hope wasn't in existence when I was diagnosed," says Dillon-Reinecke. "Meeting Lindsay and seeing how she turned her experience with cancer and infertility into a positive life mission inspired me to do the same."
Dillon-Reinecke began by volunteering at Fertile Hope and soon became an employee. "I think it is important to use my own experience to help other patients who are in the same position by empowering them with information about their risks and options," she says.
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