IVF treatment: Facebook funds

Ashleigh and Andrea are determined to share the joys of motherhood together. 135566_07 Picture: DONNA OATES

By ANEEKA SIMONIS

AS ASHLEIGH Virgona and Andrea Street grew up, they dreamed of being mothers at the same time.
But the dream has only worked out for one of the young women.
Andrea, 27, and her niece Ashleigh, also 27, described themselves as being “twins” all throughout their younger years.
Ashleigh, who lives in Emerald, is never far from her aunty Andrea, who lives in Pakenham and has been a pillar of support for Ashleigh during her hardest moments.
Ten years ago, Ashleigh was diagnosed with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) – dashing almost any hope of her becoming pregnant naturally
But up until early years when Ashleigh met her current partner Tim Swan, the reality of being infertile was never as distressing as it is to the 27-year-old now.
“I’ve always wanted to be a mum. I come from a big family … my mum is one of eight,” Ashleigh said.
Andrea, who is in the early stages of her first pregnancy, described the feeling as bittersweet.
“The one feeling I had apart from the euphoria that usually comes from the news was guilt. How was I going to tell Ash?
“Ashleigh was very happy for my partner and I, although became very emotionally upset. This broke my heart to hear.”
Desperate to help somehow, Andrea decided to launch a fund-raising campaign to help her niece achieve her dreams of motherhood through In vitro fertilisation (IVF).
“I hope to raise between $7000-8000 to cover majority of the cost of an IVF treatment and consultation fees,” Andrea said.
“The time it will take for her to save this, it could be too late for it to work.”
The Facebook campaign, Ashleigh’s Wish, attracted a quarter of the anticipated amount to put Ashleigh through her first round of IVF within one week.
“I cried. I couldn’t believe it when the donations started coming through – it blew me away,” Ashleigh said.
According to Better Health Channel, up to 18 per cent of women of reproductive age have POCS – 70 per cent of cases are undiagnosed.
To donate, search ‘Ashleigh’s Wish’ on Facebook.