CARMEL — For Dan and Tess Kossow first came love, then came marriage, then when it was time to bring out the baby carriage, they realized that step might be a little tougher than they originally anticipated.
“We decided we wanted to start a family and realized it wasn’t as easy,” Tess Kossow said. “We found out we are 1-of-8 couples that struggle with infertility we had less than 1% chance of conceiving naturally."
After more than a year of trying they turned to in vitro fertilization, an assisted reproductive technology designed to help people conceive. IVF gave them a 73% chance of conceiving, a much better shot than before. They said the entire process brought them even closer on their journey into parenthood.
“These are those commitments when you say in good times and in bad," Dan Kossow said. "My role was support. There was very little I could do. I couldn’t take the shots for her. I couldn’t go through the physical pain, but I could be there emotionally."
“The first embryo transferred was a miscarriage and the second is now our 3-year-old son Ferris,” Tess Kossow said.
Ferris, like the character his mother created for her series of books titled "I’m Very Ferris," where the title itself spells out IVF.
“I felt like we needed to talk about it not only on an adult level, but on a children's level because it is so common,” Tess Kossow said.
She wants to make sure everyone feels comfortable and proud sharing the story of how they came to be even if it’s not the conventional route.
“Today it’s becoming very acceptable to come forward and say look we are normal, and we have a problem, and we need help,” said Tess Kossow. “You realize you are not alone in infertility and people have their own unique stories whether they have gone through miscarriage or surrogacy."
