Starfish Infertility Foundation with Kara Edwards

You Matter Nashville

In this episode of "You Matter Nashville," we have a heartfelt conversation with Kara Edwards, the founder of the Starfish Infertility Foundation. Kara opens up about her own challenging journey with infertility, sharing the emotional and financial hurdles she and her husband faced, including the lack of insurance coverage for treatments. These experiences inspired her to create the foundation, which provides financial assistance and emotional support to couples struggling with infertility.

Kara explains the mission of her foundation: to help alleviate the burdens of infertility by offering grants, and educational resources, and fostering a compassionate community. She highlights the importance of raising awareness and advocating for legislative changes to ensure better insurance coverage for infertility treatments. Throughout our conversation, she shares touching stories of families who have received grants from her foundation and have successfully welcomed children into their lives.

We talk about the significance of community support, empathy, and the power of advocacy in making a positive impact. Kara’s dedication to helping others on their journey to parenthood is truly inspiring, and her story serves as a reminder to all of us to support and get involved in meaningful causes.
Takeaways

• The Starfish Infertility Foundation provides grants and support to couples going through infertility who cannot afford treatment.
• Researching fertility clinics is crucial to ensure the best chances of success.
• Infertility treatments can be financially burdensome, and better insurance coverage is needed.
• Many people only need simple fixes, such as medication, to address their infertility.
• The foundation is named after the starfish story, emphasizing the impact of helping even just one person. The Starfish Infertility Foundation provides support and financial assistance to individuals and couples navigating the challenges of infertility.
• The foundation aims to alleviate the emotional and financial burdens of infertility by funding treatments, offering educational resources, and fostering a compassionate community.
• The foundation obtained its 501C3 status after about 10 months of fighting to run the foundation independently and ensure transparency with donors' money.
• The foundation offers major grants, up to $10,000, and mini-grants, which allow donors to connect with the couples they are supporting.
• The foundation has been involved in advocating for legislation to improve insurance coverage for infertility treatments and has successfully shown legislators the importance of coverage and the minimal impact it would have on insurance costs.
• People are encouraged to continue writing to their legislators to raise awareness and support for infertility issues.

Starfish Infertility Foundation
https://starfishinfertilityfoundation.org/

You Matter Nashville YouTube Channel
https://www.youtube.com/@YouMatterNashville
The Hoover Team
https://www.thehooverteam.com/

Chapters

1. Introduction to You Matter Nashville podcast (00:00:00)

2. Kara's personal journey with infertility (00:03:16)

3. The financial burden of infertility treatments (00:05:07)

4. The importance of researching fertility clinics (00:08:57)

5. The need for better insurance coverage for infertility (00:10:26)

6. Supporting and listening to those going through infertility (00:13:20)

7. Kara's journey with IVF and finding success (00:17:09)

8. Navigating the decision to continue with infertility treatments (00:19:01)

9. The challenges and impact of infertility on marriages (00:21:25)

10. The simple fixes and lack of awareness in addressing infertility (00:23:39)

11. The inspiration behind the name 'Starfish Infertility Foundation' (00:25:38)

12. The power of making an impact, one person at a time (00:27:06)

13. Supporting Individuals and Couples Navigating Infertility (00:28:01)

14. Transparency and Independence: The Journey to 501C3 Status (00:29:00)

15. Major Grants and Personalized Mini Grants (00:30:25)

16. Advocating for Improved Insurance Coverage for Infertility Treatments (00:34:19)

17. The Impact on Military Families (00:43:29)

18. Celebrating the Success Stories (00:46:27)

19. Raising Awareness and Support for Infertility Issues (00:48:40)

20. How to Support the Starfish Infertility Foundation (00:51:03)