Sunday, September 12, 1999
Little blessings grow, thanks to reproductive center
800 children attend reunion
BY MARK CURNUTTE
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Mike and Barb Polson play jump rope with daughter Kayelyn, 3.
(Gary Landers photo)
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Normally, Barb Polson of Oakley wouldn't take her 12-day-old daughter Kendra outside. But she made an exception Saturday afternoon.
Mrs. Polson; her husband, Mike; 3-year-old daughter, Katelyn; and Kendra were among the 1,500 people at a baby reunion for the Center for Reproductive Health at Christ Hospital.
About 800 of the 1,300 children conceived there since 1992 attended the reunion at Parky's Farm in Springfield Township.
“The people at the center see more tears than anything,” said Mrs. Polson, 36. “They should see the happy side of their work.”
Kendra was conceived in November through in vitro fertilization (IVF) at the center and born Aug. 30. Her older sister Katelyn was also conceived through IVF.
IVF involves retrieving eggs from the mother, fertilizing an egg with the father's sperm and transfering the embryo to the uterus.
The Polsons tried to start their family in 1991. Then they learned they were among the 15 percent of their reproductive age group affected by infertility.
Between giving birth to her daughters, Mrs. Polson had a miscarriage at 13 weeks.
“It took us longer to get our second daughter than the first,” said Mr. Polson, 35, a computer specialist with Procter & Gamble. “There was a lot of heartbreak.”
But Saturday was a day to celebrate. Families — who came from as far away as St. Louis, Louisville and West Virginia — had a picnic lunch. Children rode ponies.
Many of the couples greeted center personnel, including its director, Dr. Sherif Awadalla, and fertilization laboratory director Erica Behnke.
Dozens of families approached Dr. Awadalla to in troduce their children and have pictures taken with him.
“It's truly a triumph for the couples,” he said.
All around were two- and three-seat strollers. About 30 percent of IVF conceptions result in at least twins; 5-12 percent in triplets.
This was the ninth reunion, and more are expected. Another 200 patients are pregnant.
The Polsons say they will try to have one more child. They are thankful that his employer's medical insurance covers 80 percent of the IVF cost, estimated at $6,000 per cycle.
“Every day I tell Katelyn she's my precious angel that Jesus sent down from heaven,” Mrs. Polson said.
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