A FAMILY’S JOURNEY THROUGH USF IVF

The lights were positioned in the studio just right…the canvas backdrop had been smoothed to perfection… and photographer John Lofreddo was standing by with his Nikon. Was the baby here yet?

On January 11th, the stage was set for a one-of-a-kind reunion – the sweetest kind. The centerpiece of the photo shoot would be a 4 month old baby boy, surrounded by his mom, dad and the team of doctors who made their dream of becoming a family come true.

“Here’s our hero!” exclaimed Donald Archambault the second he saw embryologist Dr. Ying Ying. Moments later, more laughter and smiles from Donald and his wife Dawn, brought together with the team of doctors who worked on their case from USF IVF – the In Vitro Fertilization & Reproductive Endocrinology program at USF Health.

“Oh my goodness, look how big he is”, said Dr. Shayne Plosker, “The last time you saw him, Ying, he was only 5 to 8 cells!” jokes Dr. Plosker, Division Director. “I love those little shoes he’s got on!” said Dr. David Keefe, smiling at his namesake. “Without him, David wouldn’t be here so we thought it was appropriate to name our baby after Dr. Keefe”, says Dawn.

It’s not your every day encounter between doctor and patient, but for the Archambaults this warm and familial exchange comes as no surprise.

“With them, you’re not just another number, like in other offices’, said Donald, “They remembered our first names, even remembered how many frozen embryos we had left”. The couple put their fate as parents in the hands of USF IVF, after undergoing two costly IVF procedures elsewhere, a devastating miscarriage, and almost paralyzing fear of ever trying again.

Finding Hope…
In late 2006, they found hope in a newspaper article about Dr. David Keefe. Keefe had just moved to Florida to lead the USF College of Medicine’s Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology. “We read the article on him…and someone who had a baby through artificial insemination. It intrigued us”, recalls Dawn, “My husband encouraged me, had to convince me to do it because I had given up hope at that point.”

What followed was a battery of tests to identify what was medically wrong with the reproductive systems of both husband and wife. Donald underwent a vasectomy, years earlier, during his first marriage. Dawn was diagnosed with two unique conditions involving folic acid and blood clotting.

What USF Health doctors did next, inspires them to this day. For several months, Dr. Keefe focused on treating the causes of the couple’s infertility before giving them hope with another run at IVF. “After all the tests, Dr. Keefe spent an hour with us and explained everything in detail, what the obstacles were”, recalls Dawn, “He’s very meticulous about everything.”

With A Fighting Chance…
For Dawn, motherhood finally came within her reach in December 2006. “I remember the exact dates!” she says, “On December 13th the embryos were taken out. December 18th, they put ‘em back in”. Dr. Plosker retrieved the eggs from Dawn’s ovaries. Dr. Ying, Director of the IVF Laboratory, spent hours under the microscope searching for the healthiest sperm to inject directly into each of Dawn’s egg. He used a specialized procedure called ICSI – short for Intracytoplasmic sperm injection. The final step was left to Dr. Keefe – transferring the embryos (developing fertilized eggs) into Dawn’s uterus.

Several weeks later, success.

“I couldn’t wait”, says Dawn. “I kept testing at home to see if I was pregnant yet. I went through six of them!” she says, referring to home pregnancy tests. “I still feel like I’m living in a dream.”

Baby David was born on September 4th by cesarean section, after 16 hours of labor for Dawn.

Not Just a Number…
“We feel really lucky, really fortunate to have had a chance to work with this beautiful family, which is now a little bit bigger than when they came to us”, said Dr. Keefe, standing alongside the family on the campus of USF Health. “I also feel lucky to work with our colleagues. It really is a special place, there’s a culture of caring.”

“Infertility treatment is different than many other kinds of treatment in the sense that it’s very prolonged and involves many different steps”, explains Dr. Keefe, “We try to help families understand as much as we do about it, so that they go through it and really become experts in their own care. That not only helps them get through it, because they have a sense of control over it, but we think it also helps it work better…they’re less likely to make the wrong choice, there’s a kind of positive energy that goes with that.”

“All of us, I think as people, feel that this is the way WE want to be treated when we’re patients needing healthcare”, says Dr. Plosker, “We all have the same philosophy. It’s wonderful to hear from our patients, that what we wanted to achieve as a team is getting across.”

Above the National Average…
USF IVF began in September 2006. From September 2006 thru December 2007, the team treated 89 patients with IVF cycles that included egg retrieval and sperm collection. To date, the USF IVF clinical pregnancy rate stands above the national average for women under the age of 35. Its clinical pregnancy rate is 50 percent vs. the national average of 40 percent.

“We’re now seeing our first patients, who’ve completed IVF cycles, come back to visit us with their babies”, says Christine Kilfoyl, RN, the program’s nurse coordinator, “We probably have about 20 live births, to date. Baby David is one of our early ones. We’re just starting to get the Christmas cards, pictures and all that great stuff!”

Yearning for that Happy Ending…

Gathered all together on this January morning, it’s a baby fest – 6 adults all competing for baby’s attention, gushing, “coo”-ing, and “awe”-ing in equal amounts.

Baby David in the arms of USF IVF Doctors Ying Ying, David Keefe & Shayne Plosker.

“We love this”, says Dr. Plosker, “We’re so used to looking under the microscope and saying ‘Yes, these are good embryos. Let’s put these embryos back inside mom.’ But to be able to see this little guy, here and laughing, see his personality, we don’t get to see this that often! I know it’s a cliché, but this makes it all worth while, just to see a little guy like this!”

Truth be told, not every story comes with a happy ending. At USF IVF, the journey to potential pregnancy is made with reverence. The team of doctors, coming together from across the country, is squarely focused on patients as human beings in need, not paying customers.

“When you go through infertility treatments, the sad reality is not everyone gets pregnant”, admits the program’s nurse coordinator. “For me, as a nurse, the goal is to help people through this very emotional & sometimes overwhelming process and to have them feel confident it was completed at the highest standard of excellence”, says Nurse Kilfoyl, “ We all, of course, hope for each patient to have a baby to take home, but even if they don’t, they still feel in their heart that they gave it their best shot”.

A Special Commitment…
For the Archambaults, USF IVF gave them a fighting chance – one that has changed their life forever.

Standing near the couple and the photographer clicking away with his camera, Dr. Ying is content just to look at baby. He remarks, almost in a whisper, “From the lab point of view, this was a tough case.” Asked what he thought at first site of the infant, he responds without hesitation. “I was thinking like he’s my baby!” eyes sparkling, smile broad. “I feel the pressure of the family’s hopes and dreams when I’m in the lab doing my work”, says the Chinese embryologist, “and I try my best.”

It’s that kind of commitment that has moved the Archambaults to try again. In the coming weeks, they’ll try for their second child with the help of specialists at USF IVF. “Don’t give up hope!” is their message to couples in distress, “Believe! If you want any chance of a baby, this is where you should go”, says Donald.

Click here to see PHOTO GALLERY……

Story by Lissette Campos, USF Health Communications
Photography by John Lofreddo, USF Health Media Center

For more on USF IVF click here.