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Wichita couple seek donations for IVF
Yahoo ^ | 07.14.06

Posted on 07/15/2006 7:25:02 PM PDT by Coleus

The idea still holds a bit of novelty, though Shelton and Brandi Koskie aren't banking on that alone. Rather, the Wichita couple is hoping the generosity of strangers is what ultimately pays off. The Koskies, who spent 17 months attempting to conceive a child the old-fashioned way, recently turned to a doctor for help. It was then they learned Shelton had a medical condition that made in vitro fertilization their best option.

They also learned it would cost $15,000. Shelton, 26, works in publications at Cessna, and Brandi, 25, is an advertising account executive. That much money seemed like a fortune to the young couple. But Shelton said his wife is a natural problem solver. Before she had even walked out of the doctor's office, she came up the idea of building a Web site to not only chronicle their experience, but ask visitors to donate money.

BabyOrBust.com, which launched in early July, has already netted the couple more than $1,000. "The hardest part for me was, wait a second, we're going to tell everybody?" Shelton said. The idea of "cyberbegging" came from Karyn Bosnack, a 20-something from New York who had accumulated more than $20,000 in credit card bills. Her Web site, SaveKaryn.com, asked people in 2002 to donate money to help her get out of debt.

"This has been a nation of self-promotion from the get-go," said Robert Thompson, a professor of media and pop culture at Syracuse University. "What the Internet and reality television have done is given people a venue for that self-promotion." Thompson said Bosnack spawned an entire generation of people looking online for handouts and eventually people will grow tired of it.

"It's like e-mail," he said. "There's no longer the novelty factor." But the Koskie's Web site represents more than a hand extended, palm up. It is a mixture of research and links, with a published list of medical expenses to help other couples plan for in vitro fertilization. It even includes a diary with such pithy, lighthearted commentary as Brandi's entry: "They say it takes a village to raise a child. We need a village to help us just get the dad-gum thing conceived!"

"When we started this, we told ourselves we'd have to get a thick skin," Brandi said. "Not everybody is going to agree with what we're doing. ... Our position is that what we're doing is an act of love." In vitro fertilization is not covered by their health insurance, and the couple said they had considered moving to one of the 15 states that requires health care coverage for fertility treatments. But their entrepreneurship has allowed them to stay in Wichita, where they say they have always wanted to raise their children. "We want a baby that has my blue eyes," Brandi said, "and Shelton's red hair and my curls."


TOPICS: Culture/Society; US: Kansas
KEYWORDS: beggars; howcantheyaffordakid; ivf
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1 posted on 07/15/2006 7:25:04 PM PDT by Coleus
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To: 2ndMostConservativeBrdMember; afraidfortherepublic; Alas; al_c; american colleen; annalex; ...


2 posted on 07/15/2006 7:26:05 PM PDT by Coleus (I Support Research using the Ethical, Effective and Moral use of stem cells: non-embryonic "adult")
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To: Coleus

Why are they seeking donations? There are foundations that fund these things with grant monies.


3 posted on 07/15/2006 7:30:44 PM PDT by Calpernia (Breederville.com)
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To: Calpernia

They are just 5 bucks away from sextuplets and then the donations will be for their upkeep.


4 posted on 07/15/2006 7:32:16 PM PDT by Texasforever (I have neither been there nor done that.)
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To: Coleus
Two words: Infertility insurance. Or, they could find jobs where the companies have infertility coverage, that's how we were able to afford the procedures.
5 posted on 07/15/2006 7:32:51 PM PDT by pillut48 (CJ in TX)
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To: Coleus

Unfortunately, I've seen two sets of friends go through adoptions that were rescinded afterward because the parents wanted the baby in one case and older kids in another, back.

Another friend adopted from Russia and though there were certainly hurdles, at least they didn't have to go through the pain of returning the child under orders from a judge.

I think the way it used to work where things were kept anonymous worked better. I very good friend of mine was adopted and she never felt inclined to find her birth mother. Perhaps she's the exception.


6 posted on 07/15/2006 7:32:55 PM PDT by Incorrigible (If I lead, follow me; If I pause, push me; If I retreat, kill me.)
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To: Texasforever

Actually, the majority of successful IVF procedures results in singleton pregnancies--somewhere around the 98% range, IIRC.


7 posted on 07/15/2006 7:34:23 PM PDT by pillut48 (CJ in TX)
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To: Coleus

This kind of begging disgusts me. I'm sorry about their situation but life isn't fair.


8 posted on 07/15/2006 7:40:13 PM PDT by proudofthesouth (Mao said that power comes at the point of a rifle; I say FREEDOM does.)
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To: Coleus

Gee, maybe they should call Planned Parenthood? /sarcasm off


9 posted on 07/15/2006 7:40:40 PM PDT by isthisnickcool (nac uoy daer sdrow sdrawkcab?)
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To: Texasforever

Well, if it is for the upkeep, they should auction off advertising space on the future children's clothing....

"Baby #1 sponsored by Bedford Research Foundation"

"Baby #2 sponsored by Duncan Holly Biomedical"

etc...


10 posted on 07/15/2006 7:43:59 PM PDT by Calpernia (Breederville.com)
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To: Coleus

They are too young and haven't been trying long enough for IVF. In addition to this, they should find other ways to fund this rather than asking for handouts.


11 posted on 07/15/2006 7:46:42 PM PDT by ThisLittleLightofMine
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To: proudofthesouth
Me too.

I can't see it as anything other than begging.

Having children isn't a right.

OTOH, at least their married.

12 posted on 07/15/2006 7:47:33 PM PDT by delacoert
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To: Coleus

"They also learned it would cost $15,000. Shelton, 26, works in publications at Cessna, and Brandi, 25, is an advertising account executive."

They can't come up with 15 grand between the two of them??? I'm sure they can but they'd rather receive handouts. Disgusting.


13 posted on 07/15/2006 7:55:23 PM PDT by peggybac (Tolerance is the virtue of believing in nothing)
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To: Incorrigible
Perhaps she's the exception

Nope, there are a lot of us that never had the desire to find our
biological mother. My sister(not blood) and I have always felt that
our adoptive mother was the one that was there to take care of us
through sickness and health, good times and bad. She's MOM.

In my case, my bio. mom was 16, and in 1950 you just didn't have a kid
at 16.

14 posted on 07/15/2006 7:56:29 PM PDT by ThreePuttinDude ().....Go Cubbies .....()
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To: Coleus

I could think of plenty of other strangers/people to donate money too. For example, there is a lady at church who has two children with Chari's Malformation. Her husband abandoned them a few years back when the mother found out she had cervical cancer. He traded her for a younger, healthier model, the bas***d. I digress, I'd rather give her money to cover what their insurance doesn't.


15 posted on 07/15/2006 7:57:09 PM PDT by Jaded (does it really need a sarcasm tag?)
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To: ThisLittleLightofMine

Infertility treatment should be sought after no pgs within one year for those under 35, and 6 months for those over 35--the article *did* mention she had another medical condition which precludes them going through treatment the 'long' way (trying clomid, the intrauterine inseminations, then IVF when those fail).


16 posted on 07/15/2006 7:58:38 PM PDT by pillut48 (CJ in TX)
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To: Jaded

Chiari's. My sister has this condition too.


17 posted on 07/15/2006 8:00:12 PM PDT by pillut48 (CJ in TX)
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To: Coleus

If the Koskies think they can't afford the $15,000, why do they think they can afford to raise a child in this day and age?

I don't understand why they just can't pay it themselves as they are both working.


18 posted on 07/15/2006 8:02:14 PM PDT by I_Like_Spam
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To: I_Like_Spam

IME, you are required to pay for the procedures up front. It can take several cycles to be successful, and that really adds up. Wonder what this couple will do if they aren't successful first time around? More cyberbegging?


19 posted on 07/15/2006 8:05:04 PM PDT by pillut48 (CJ in TX)
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To: pillut48; Jaded

What is Chiari's? I tried googling it and got different despriptions. One is a neck disorder that results in fatigue and the other is a liver condition. The articles were either too vague or too complicated (medical-ese). Could you put it in English?


20 posted on 07/15/2006 9:26:45 PM PDT by metmom (Welfare was never meant to be a career choice.)
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