On Saturday November 16th, I spent the evening at Feit 4 KidZ Fertility Loan Fund gala where Dr. Robert Boostanfar from HRC Fertility was being honored. This event was the first annual benefit dinner and a program for the Jewish Free Loan Association of Los Angeles.
As I walked into the Luxe Hotel, I was greeted not only by my very special graduated patients but also by my old colleagues with whom I had worked intimately for 7.5 years. I say intimately, because, when you are talking about penises, vaginas, ovaries, uteri, sperm, sex and masturbation on a daily basis, the conversation tends to cross the line of professional to intimate for the sake of putting your patients’ best interests ahead of your own discomfort.
This amazing event was all a result of an incredibly generous couple that endured countless hours of reproductive hardships. Emily and Alan Feit spent over three years with Dr. Boostanfar trying to conceive. Emily and Alan’s journey started off like most of yours – and like your journeys, it took many wrong turns and they hit many dead ends. Emily endured all of the painful, precarious and vulnerable diagnostics tests available to date. She was poked and probed more times than anyone should endure in one lifetime. But after two artificial insemination cycles, a total of seven fresh IVF/frozen embryo transfer cycles, numerous negative pregnancy tests and two miscarriages, Emily and Alan finally conceived and gave birth to twins.
I am still in awe over how graceful Emily traveled through her journey and how Alan was “present” in the moment, supporting her, every step of the way. I am not saying they didn’t go through their trials and tribulations, but the one thing that was so evident in their marriage is they are 50-50 partners every second of every day.
So, I ask you, what good can come out of years of fertility treatments? I surely did not see this one coming, but when Emily and Alan have their hearts set on something, it comes to fruition. Most importantly, their dream of having a family finally came true, but they are also now giving back to their community. Emily and Alan Feit created Feit 4 KidZ Fertility Loan Fund. This is a program for the Jewish Free Loan Association of Los Angeles that offers interest-free loans to help those who cannot afford fertility treatments. Not only did Emily and Alan organize this amazing event with the help of the Jewish Free Loan Association of Los Angeles, but they also matched 100% of the amount of money raised during the gala. I am so honored to know them, to have been a part of their journey, and now, to have them as my friends.
As a clinician working in Reproductive Endocrinology, life gets messy. You care more than you should and emotional boundaries get crossed. You become emotionally invested in your patients. It is one of the most rewarding and heartbreaking careers you can have. But when you see your patients succeed like Emily and Alan Feit, you are reminded of why you “show up” everyday and put your heart on the line. Not only did Dr. Boostanfar and Anh Lee (the embryologist who created Emily and Alan’s babies) create a life (in this case she created two), but they also planted the seed for Feit 4 KidZ Fertility Loan Fund and helped put the wheels in motion for other couples’ dreams to come true.
To Emily and Alan Feit, and to those who donated, THANK YOU! I am so honored and blessed to have been a part of this unforgettable evening.
To learn more about Emily and Alan’s story please click here.
To submit an application for an interest-free loan or to DONATE, please contact the Jewish Free Loan Association of Los Angeles at: http://www.jfla.org
Blessings,
Wendy S
