My name is Michael — some of you know me as Mike or Mikey. My wife Katie and I have been trying to have a baby together for more than five years. Writing this is one of the harder things I've done — I'm not someone who asks for help — but I'm doing it because Katie deserves this, and because I've learned that sometimes the strongest thing you can do is be honest about what you need.

Starting at the beginning

I served in the Army, went overseas in Operation Iraqi Freedom, and during the course of my service took more than a couple hard hits — certainly a few to the head.

Multiple traumatic brain injuries can quietly damage the gland at the base of the brain that controls the body's hormones — including testosterone. Mine stopped functioning correctly. Testing confirmed it. Hormone therapy wasn't a lifestyle choice. It was medically necessary, a direct result of injuries I carried home from service.

I found a physician and started treatment in 2021. I trusted him to manage it responsibly. That trust was misplaced.

What went wrong

Over nearly three years, that doctor managed my treatment negligently — ignoring his own test results showing serious and ongoing harm, never warning me of the risks to our ability to have children, and never stopping treatment even after knowing Katie and I were actively trying to conceive. By April 2024, we learned that his negligence had made natural conception impossible for us.

In January 2024, weeks before that ER visit, Katie had already undergone exploratory surgery as part of our fertility workup — looking for the reason we couldn't get pregnant. There was nothing wrong with her. The problem was what was being done to me, but at the time we had no idea.

Also in January, I ended up in the emergency room with blood clots in my leg and my lungs — a life-threatening event caused by that same doctor's failure to screen me for a clotting disorder before prescribing a therapy known to cause exactly this. I have been on blood thinners for life since.

That physician has since surrendered his medical license. We have filed a lawsuit. We are pursuing accountability through the courts. That part is handled.

About Katie

I want to say something about my wife, because she deserves more than a mention.

Katie is already a mother — and one of the best I've ever seen. She showed up for my children before she ever had to, and she has loved them with everything she has. She is the kind of woman who makes everyone around her better just by being present. She is my partner, my steadiness, and my favorite person on earth.

She has never once made me feel like this was my fault. In five years of trying, through surgeries and emergencies and disappointment, she has remained the most graceful, faithful, patient person I know. She deserves her own baby. She deserves to carry a child of her own and experience that in a way that is entirely hers. I want that for her more than I've ever wanted anything.

What we're asking for — and why Warsaw

Our goal is $45,000.

After extensive research, we've made the decision to pursue IVF with a world-class fertility team in Warsaw, Poland. We know that may sound unexpected, so we want to be transparent about why.

Poland has become one of the most respected destinations for fertility treatment in the world — not as a compromise, but as a genuine upgrade in several meaningful ways. The top clinics in Warsaw report success rates well above both the U.S. and European averages, with some achieving pregnancy rates approaching 60% per cycle. They specialize in complex cases — including male-factor infertility, which is exactly our situation. They use the same advanced technologies found at the best American clinics: AI-driven hormone protocols, next-generation genetic screening of embryos, and cutting-edge laboratory systems that monitor development in real time. And they are fully accredited to EU and international standards.

The other reality is cost. IVF in the United States can run $20,000–$30,000 or more per cycle — and we've already faced significant financial hardship that we're working through. Pursuing treatment in Warsaw allows our $45,000 goal to fund multiple real attempts rather than a single shot. We are not cutting corners. We are being strategic about giving ourselves the best possible chance.

We have already completed the necessary medical preparations on our end. We have done our homework. We are ready to fight for this.

Closing

This is the most outside-my-comfort-zone thing I have ever done. I would rather face most things in life than ask strangers for money. But I'm doing it because my wife is exceptional and she has stood by me through all of it, and she deserves for me to lay down my pride and fight for her in every way I can.

Every dollar goes directly to treatment — nothing else, nothing hidden. We will update this page every step of the way. If you are willing to give, thank you. If you are willing to share this, that may matter even more.

We believe God has a plan for our family. We are simply asking if you might be part of it.

Thank you.

— Michael & Katie Szymanski