Family Fertility Fund of Sask. holds walk to raise awareness about infertility
The Family Fertility Fund of Saskatchewan held a five-kilometre walk in Saskatoon on Sunday to raise awareness about infertility.
“We’re going to bring everybody together today to support the community, spread awareness about what we’re doing and what people are going through," said Vice President and co-founder Kelsey Connell.
According to Connell, infertility affects one in six people while one in four is affected by miscarriages.
Connell herself experienced four years of infertility before having three babies.
“The biggest thing is that you’re not alone. A lot of people are struggling right now, a lot of people feel like it’s a dirty little secret. A lot of people are not aware of the struggles other people are going through.”
The organization provides $5,000 grants for infertility treatments. Connell says treatments can cost up to $15,000-20,000.
Since the group was started in 2017, it's given out 28 grants, helping see 14 babies delivered with four more on the way.
“It doesn’t go a long way but it certainly helps,” said Connell. “It’s also giving them the belief that we have in them, that they can have their baby.”
One of those couples the group helped was Iris Akbar and her wife Andrea Koh, who started the infertility journey in 2018.
“We had a lot of ups and downs,” said Akbar. “We had a few frozen transfers that failed.”
The couple says they depleted their savings account trying to solve their infertility. They applied for the grant in 2020.
“We became a successful recipient, and it gave us an opportunity for more fertility treatments,” said Akbar.
The couple gave birth to twins Aria Gamp and Zuir Gamp on March 1.
“It's hard to describe the feeling when the twins were delivered. It’s an enormous joy,” she said.
The week of April 18 – 24 marks Canadian Infertility Awareness Week in Canada.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Canada tracked suspected Chinese spy balloon over Canadian airspace since last weekend: sources
The suspected Chinese surveillance balloon that was found floating over sensitive military sites in the western United States had been tracked by Canada's government since last weekend as it passed through Canadian airspace, sources tell CTV News.

Oldest preserved vertebrate brain found in 319-million-year-old fish fossil
The oldest preserved vertebrate brain has been found in a 319-million-year-old fossilized fish skull that was removed from an English coal mine over a century ago.
Former NHL-er Ted Nolan among Indigenous players honoured in new hockey card series
It took 40 years, but former NHL player and coach Ted Nolan is now one of eight Indigenous ex-NHL-ers being honoured hockey trading cards as a part of Upper Deck's First Peoples Rookie Card series.
B.C. man who was mistaken for target, shot by police in 2013 has lawsuit dismissed
A B.C. man who was mistaken for the target in a police takedown and shot by an officer in 2013 has had his lawsuit alleging negligence dismissed.
Bodies are those of 3 rappers missing nearly 2 weeks: Detroit police
Three bodies found in a vacant Detroit-area apartment building have been identified as those of three aspiring rappers who went missing nearly two weeks ago, police said Friday.
Maid's son tells judge Alex Murdaugh took US$4M for her death
For much of disgraced South Carolina attorney Alex Murdaugh's double murder trial, witnesses have talked about a generous and loving man -- but prosecutors want jurors to know that same man stole over US$4 million from his housekeeper's relatives after she died at work, and killed his wife and son to cover up his crimes.
Japanese prime minister's aide leaving over LGBTQ2S+ remarks
A senior aide to Japan's prime minister is being dismissed after making discriminatory remarks about LGBTQ2S+ people.
Jury: Musk didn't defraud investors with 2018 Tesla tweets
A jury on Friday decided Elon Musk didn't deceive investors with his 2018 tweets about electric automaker Tesla.
Stars disappearing before our eyes faster than ever: report
A new research from a citizen science program suggests that stars are disappearing before our eyes at an 'astonishing rate.'