The Future Family Experience - Reba M.

Meet Reba M., a teacher from San Jose, CA, and hear about her and her husband Roy’s IVF Journey with Future Family.

How did you choose KindBody as your fertility clinic? And how did you find out about Future Family?

We were referred to KindBody by one of our previous Ob/Gyn. When we started going to KindBody and the bills were coming in, my husband asked, is there some way you can help us so we’re not so anxious about every appointment and you know, what’s the bill? What’s the copay? What’s the bloodwork cost?

One of the women at the front desk gave us your information. We talked about it. Do we want to take this on, where we are paying a monthly payment, or do we just want to pay at every appointment. What’s easier? And then I thought, let me just apply and see what happens. And we met Ryan, and he gave me all the information we needed. And something that Ryan said to me that really stood out was, ‘Future Family is here to take care of the bills. So that when you are at your appointment, your main priority and main goal is your family and your health and doing everything you need to make this a successful outcome.’ When we heard that, I told my husband, we have to use Future Family because that was so reassuring to hear.

When did you first learn about the cost of fertility treatment?

Yeah that in itself was like ‘what in the world!’ We learned that nothing fertility-wise was covered under insurance. You know, routine blood work was over a grand for each of us. Then when we went to KindBody, we both asked them– ballpark range, one cycle– how much does it cost? They said one cycle, plus medications and all of your appointments will be close to $25,000 or $30,000. And they said most families are not so lucky to have it happen in the first round of IVF so they do a couple rounds. We both looked at each other like– what do we do? We’re teachers; we just moved to California. We are literally going to put all our eggs in one round and see what happens. At that point, before we learned about Future Family, we were paying so much for just bloodwork! We hadn’t even done the retrieval or the transfer yet.

Then we found out that I had a polyp that wasn't covered, and we realized, we needed help or this dream of having a child is just not going to work. IVF was very new to us. You hear about it, but you don’t really know what the process involves.

So after I read more about it, I asked Ryan– is there somebody that can walk us through this? I know you guys help us cover bills, but is there anyone who can help us with everything else– the medication, the process, just advice? And he said, yes, actually you’ll get a nurse just for you. To help you and answer any questions you have, anything you need along the way, support groups. Immediately, we knew we were not going to be able to get through this process without Future Family’s help. Nobody in our family has ever gone through this, and it was scary. So we needed help in multiple ways, and Future Family was able to offer that to us.

Was the financing with Future Family easy or hard to understand?

The application process was super simple to follow. It wasn't like you needed multiple documents, which relieved a lot of our stress, too. Ryan got back to us immediately about what we qualified for. And then he explained, we give this entire amount to KindBody, so you don’t worry about anything.

There was a point where we needed about $5,000 more, and immediately, Ryan sent us a new application. I remember I couldn't talk to him on the phone because I was at work. So he was texting all the information to me. This is how much your monthly payment is gonna go up, let us know and we will immediately send it over to Kindbody. It was just very simple to understand how much we were given, how much we were paying monthly, and how much was left as well.

How was your experience with KindBody?

It was good. You know in the beginning we were hesitant because it’s a lot to go through, and the cost of everything. But you realize that this process is just very expensive, but hopefully by the end of it you come out with a baby. We definitely built a very strong relationship. KindBody knew everything about us. You just felt like they really cared about you.

How was your experience with your Future Family care nurse, Katie?

We have nothing but positive and amazing thoughts about Future Family, especially Katie. I don't know how we would have gotten through this without her. She helped us from day one. Like how to do the injections, the before and after care of all the medications, and any questions that we had– she was always available. We would just talk afterwards too, just chit chat, just to help us clear our minds.

From the very first shot, she talked my husband Roy through the entire thing. She FaceTime with us at 9pm and laid everything out. She helped him be less stressed, which eased my anxiety. She told him, ‘hey get rid of that bubble in the medicine, aim a little bit lower.’ And that wasn’t the only time we talked late at night. We had to do our trigger shot at 11pm, and she said, ‘Reba, Roy, call me at 10:55 and let's do it together.’

I am a very anxious person myself, which was hard on Roy when he was preparing the injections. But having Katie there, we were like, ok we got this. Unfortunately, we did miscarry in July, and Katie called me immediately when she found out, and told us, ‘take time to cry, to mourn, to grieve, do what you need to do. Then let’s get you ready for your next steps.’ And that whole week she checked in on me.

Future Family sent me flowers right after our egg retrieval. Like there were so many things you just wouldn’t expect from a business or company like that to do. We received so much love and support from you guys that went far beyond the financial help.

I remember telling a friend who is starting IVF, ‘hey if your clinic accepts Future Family, that was the best decision that we ever made for our family. And not only receiving that financial help, but the emotional help, the support that you receive from everybody there.'

What advice would you share with someone just starting IVF?

Just make sure you really understand what you’re getting into. KindBody and Future Family both made those things very clear – the pros and cons of everything. Ask for help if you need it. In the beginning, I didn't want help. I thought we could do it on our own, and I didn’t want anybody to know what we were going through. But I realize now that asking for help and getting support is so important when you’re going through something like this.

We feel so lucky because after one round, we are pregnant! And if we didn’t ask for help, we would have been extra stressed out, so who knows what the outcome would be. There are so many families going through this, and if you ask for help, you’ll see everybody is rooting for you. You’re not alone. There’s nothing wrong with taking help.

Reba and Roy are now 24 weeks pregnant. We wish them all the joy and happiness and thank them for sharing their journey with us.  

Seek Financing with Future Family

If you’re looking for a fertility resource that provides customized financing, the Future Family team is here for you. Freezing your eggs or starting a family  should not have to be stressful, and we want to help take the load off of the process. Prequalify for your fertility plan today.

Want to be featured in a Future Family story? Reach out to us at marketing@futurefamily.com.