To the Ends of the Earth

It can surprise you sometimes how much you can endure-physically, emotionally, psychologically. I found that even after having been violently kicked down repeatedly, I would see a faint flicker of what could be floating in the distant horizon, and I would find my fatigued body clawing back desperately with an unexpected ferocity. I have always been a tenacious thing. It's led me to success in my medical career, heavy competition fueling my zeal. But nothing, nothing posed as fierce a challenge as the forces that opposed my fertility. And though I know this is not an uncommon battle, I believe the perplexity of my convoluted journey is unique. Let it offer hope. Let it offer empathy. Let it offer connection. Let it offer company. During the bleakest of moments, I could not, would not accept defeat. There was no life I would consider without being a mother. It's an unbelievable story. If I had made it up, it would sound obtuse for being so implausible. But it's not fiction. This is my life.

-- Kimberly Werner Billet, MD, FAAD