Cornell researchers are projecting New York’s population to decrease significantly over the next 25 years. While there are many reasons for that, one of them is low fertility rates.

Angela Hatem's journey in overcoming this was a long, winding road, including a pitstop in upstate New York for the Indiana resident. 

“One way or another, I’m becoming a mom," said Hatem. 

Today, she's Wyatt’s mom. Being a mother was her dream since she was little, but her journey to get here included every speed bump and detour you could imagine. 

“I am a single mom by choice, so having a family in a traditional sense was a little tricky. So it was me and science against the world," she said. 

In trying to find an anonymous sperm donor or effective fertility treatments, she found out that she has a low ovarian reserve, a condition that affects a woman’s fertility. She tried treatment after treatment without any success. 

“And I went through eight intrauterine inseminations, and I was age 38 at the time," said Hatem. "So, once we got to the eighth one and I wasn’t successful, my fertility specialist said it’s time to get aggressive. It’s time for IVF.”

The cost of IVF was astronomical, though. According to the American Society for Reproductive Medicine, the average cost of one IVF cycle is a little more than $12,000. Based in Indiana, Hatem looked for more affordable options, which led her to CNY Fertility in Syracuse. 

“I think if you put affordable IVF, they’re at the top, so that was really helpful," she said. "I did get a little bit of a sticker shock and was like, 'What, that’s how much?' That’s less than half. That’s a quarter of what they’re trying to charge me in Indianapolis.” 

She came and adopted a new approach. 

“In our practice, we’ve added using a lot of nutrition and mindset and acupuncture, and that’s the biggest things," said CNY Fertility owner Dr. Robert Kiltz. 

Hatem worked with Kiltz. They adopted lifestyle changes to her routine, but she failed her first two IVF cycles. So, she implemented a Keto Diet as a last-ditch chance. Emotions wore thin, hope hung on by a string, but then…

“She asked me, 'How are you today?' You’re gonna have to tell me how I am today," Hatem said. "And she said, 'You have an HSG of 124, which means you’re pregnant.' And I fell on the ground and just cried, and I thanked God. I thanked CNY. I thanked everybody. It was like a Grammy Award speech. I couldn’t thank enough people.”

Six years later, she’s Wyatt’s mom. A dream that’s exceeded everything she thought it would be.

“Every step I took, every mile I drove was to get me him, and I’m thankful for each of them," she said.