Jennifer and Jonathan Schofield have resorted to crowdfunding to give their eldest son a sibling… story on Mail Online
When Jennifer and Jonathan Schofield’s second son was stillborn they were devastated.
But worse was to come when Jennifer, 42, failed to get pregnant again. And the desperate couple turned to IVF.
Because they already had son Nathan, five, they did not qualify for fertility treatment on the NHS. But after spending out thousands in savings, they were thrilled when they produced ten embryos.
However three attempts to get pregnant with six of the embryos have failed – and now they have run out of money to use the final four embryos.
Last night Jennifer, 42, a nurse, said: ‘If we can’t afford the IVF treatment to use up the remaining embryos they will have to be destroyed. We have never asked for money in our lives so setting up a crowdfunding page is our last resort.
‘And as it costs money just to keep the embryos in storage, if we can’t raise the funds, they will have to be destroyed.’
The couple’s journey to complete their family began after their first son Nathan was born.
Said Jennifer: ‘We were delighted when nine months after Nathan was born I got pregnant again. The pregnancy seemed normal and everything was fine. We looked forward to having a sibling for Nathan.’
But six months into her pregnancy Jennifer and husband Jonathan, 38, who have been married for eight years, were given the worst news possible.
Recalls Jennifer: ‘We were two days into a holiday to York when I woke up one morning and realised I hadn’t felt the baby move for a couple of days.’
Husband Jonathan, 38, rushed her to hospital where she underwent an emergency scan.
‘I will never forget that moment doctors told me they couldn’t find a heartbeat and our baby had died inside me,’ says Jennifer.
It meant she had to go through the labour and delivery knowing her son would not be born alive.
Daniel was stillborn on 16th June 2011 weighing 1Ib 9oz.
She says: ‘He was so tiny and perfect. In those few precious moments I told him I loved him and always would do and that I was sorry I could not carry him and hear him cry in my arms.’
Despite their grief the Schofields still hoped to have another baby. But after trying to get pregnant again for over two years, Jennifer failed to conceive. Frustratingly tests did not reveal why she was not getting pregnant. ‘All tests came back that both Jonathan and I were fine,’ she says, ’it was so upsetting.’
The pair decided the only way forward was IVF. ‘But we didn’t qualify for funding as we already have Nathan so we spent £13,000 savings on three attempts to get pregnant.’
She adds: ‘Some people have criticised our decision to ask the public to raise money for our IVF. We also know we are lucky that we have one child when many people have none.
“But we still long for a brother or sister or complete our family. And the thought of having to destroy our embryos is truly heartbreaking. At the age of 42 I feel my biological clock is really ticking. Time is running out and we are desperate to give them life.”
The Schofields, from Blackpool, are hoping to raise £3,600 to pay for treatment which will include £700 to pay for storage of the frozen embryos over the next three years and enable the remaining embryos to be implanted in Jennifer’s uterus.
https://www.gofundme.com/Jennifer-Schofield
I placed the Schofield’s story on Mail Online which gave them a link to their fund raising page – and hopefully they will get the money they need and be able to give Nathan a little brother or sister.
Are you using crowdfunding such as gofundme.com to raise money for something. If you feel your story could do with some publicity, why not contact me.