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Holly’s Story

November 1, 2022

My name is Holly and this is my story of how I became an egg donor and helped 6 families achieve their dreams of having a baby and how that has completely changed my life!

My last semester of college, I became super focused on how I wanted to live my post-college life. With my chosen career path of Behavior Analysis, I knew I wanted to help children with autism and make a difference in their and their family’s lives. However, I also knew I wanted to make a difference in people’s lives outside of my job, and I knew I wanted to travel some and enrich myself. This led me to making a bucket list and the first thing at the top of that list was. “Be the difference that majorly changes someone’s life for the better.”

I had heard of egg donation before and researched it somewhat and toyed with the idea of it. I began researching the process in depth, reading articles and reviewing legitimate agencies to work with. I spoke with my parents, boyfriend (now husband) and friends about it and wanted their feedback and concerns-if any. They were beyond encouraging of my decision to do this!

I found Egg Donor Solutions in about April of my Senior year of college and I applied to be a donor with them. My application was approved, my interview went splendidly, and before I knew it, I was an active potential donor on their database. Throughout my research I read that being chosen as a donor can take months or even a year or more. I prepared myself for that- if I was lucky to be chosen at all. However, things changed quickly. About a month after being active on their site, I was chosen for my first cycle! I was ecstatic! A family in Memphis wanted me as their donor. The process got started right away. The EDS team and my care coordinator made everything so easy and really walked me through the entire process step by step with tons of support. The first couple of months there were several doctor appointments for ultra sounds and blood work, a psychological evaluation and then some legal paperwork to be completed. Then came the medication start. I was definitely nervous for this part at first because of the shots, but they ended up being so easy and not at all scary! Then before I knew it, I was traveling to Memphis to complete my donation.

My husband accompanied me for the trip, and it was a fun getaway for us! We had appointments in the morning and then we had the day to explore! The day of the retrieval procedure came about and understandably, I was a little nervous. The procedure was surprisingly short, and I woke up feeling fine despite the minor discomfort. I went back to the hotel feeling so fulfilled and positive to rest that day and traveled home the next. This is pretty much how all my egg donation cycles progressed. All easy, all traveling, and all extremely fulfilling! I felt a sense of overwhelming JOY afterwards knowing that I gave someone a gift that they have truly been striving for and they truly deserve! It is an empowering feeling!

I have been blessed with this opportunity 6 times! I am lucky enough to get to travel for each one- which is an amazing perk of the process. I have traveled to go to places I had never been before (Memphis, Denver, Houston, San Diego and Phoenix). Because of this, my husband and I fulfilled our dreams of traveling together and making a difference in people’s lives. Yes, there are financial benefits for a donor as well and because of that we have been able to achieve some other goals. But honestly, the best part is the gift you are giving and knowing that you are truly changing the lives for these intended parents. I got letters in the midst of the process from almost all of the parents I donated for- once you read those letters, it makes everything worth it! Each one with a different story of the struggles they went through to get to this point and how grateful they are for what I am giving. Those letters are something I will cherish forever and share with my children someday to hopefully inspire them to live a life that is serving to others. Knowing that there are so many deserving parents out there trying everything to have a baby, being able to give them hope, and hopefully making their dreams come true, is why I chose to be a donor time and time again!

My 4th donation took place in San Diego, CA and it was a truly life changing one for me. The parents wanted to meet me. At first, I was nervous and skeptical but talking to my mom and husband, I realized what an amazing opportunity that could be! We Skyped together once, they were so kind and thankful. Just the sweetest people in the world. When traveling for the retrieval, my husband and I were given the opportunity to meet them in person accompanied by a therapist. We talked for nearly 2 hours with them- but honestly, it could’ve been longer than that as they were amazing! The mother cried thanking me for what I was giving them, and they shared intimate details like what they were going to name their baby and their hopes in raising a child. This 4th donation, and meeting this amazing family was the event that made me want to leave my chosen career path and take a chance at a career in the egg donation field. Egg Donation changed my life through those donations, but I didn’t want my time helping families have babies to end after the maximum of 6 donations.

I feel beyond fulfilled and blessed to have these opportunities and to have truly made a difference in MANY peoples lives and helped to change their lives for the better!